California Walnuts - www.walnuts.org

I love the taste of pumpkin, especially during the holiday season, and cheesecakes make it just that much better. Being healthy and keeping fit go hand in hand in my life, so whenever I come across a recipe that sounds amazing, but is quite unhealthy, I always try to change into a healthy dish. To lighten this dessert, I opted for low fat cream cheese and light sour cream. I don't like to use fat free ingredients because the taste and structure are compromised. I also like to use ground toasted walnuts as a crust rather than your normal graham cracker crust because it really compliments the flavor of the pumpkin. Also, I know a few people who are allergic to gluten and the nutty crust changes the recipe into a gluten free dish! One last great aspect of this dessert is the small size of each cake instead of a full cheesecake. It is much easier to serve using the baking liners and the portions are much smaller, which is key after a huge holiday meal!

The commentary expressed on consumer submitted recipes is the opinion of the author and not of the California Walnut Board.

Mini Pumpkin cheesecakes with a ground toasted walnut crust.

This is a prize-winning recipe in the Smart Holidays Menu Makeover recipe contest submitted by Kara Scow.