Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Crust:
20 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
2 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch-square pan with foil, so that foil overhangs sides. Mist with cooking spray.
2) Make crust: Process cookies in food processor until ground. Pulse in butter. Press evenly into pan. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly.
3) Make filling: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin, then eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla, flour, spice and salt until just combined.
4) Pour mixture into pan. Put pan on a large rimmed baking sheet; place in oven. Pour hot water into baking sheet until it's nearly filled. Bake until cheesecake is set around edges, but jiggles slightly in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove pan from sheet; cool completely on rack. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours.

Review: This was the second time I had made these bars. The first time, the water from the outer pan spilled and ignited a fire. I'm happy to say fire was not part of the recipe this time!! I made these late at night, after an evening of decorating Christmas cookies with my husband's family. Last year I joked about making cake and most were in agreement that the standard holiday pies were not as exciting after eating them a month earlier for Thanksgiving. I planned and planned, but realized 2 wks ago that I did not have a way of transporting a cake. I shopped for a cake carrier, and found one, but shipping could not be guaranteed prior to Christmas day. I decided then to make these bars for the holiday, noting the pumpkin would be season appropriate, and ironically my cake carrier arrived today! Go figure. Luckily, these bars were a hit and the promise of cake was forgotten! My only complaint was that I used pumpkin that was not Libby's. After reading that Libby uses GMO pumpkin, I decided to try a different brand. Ideally, I like to avoid GMO foods. Yet, they specially breed their pumpkins to have less water. Therefore, the pumpkin I used was watery and the cheesecake didn't set very well in the middle. I'm not sure if cooking longer would alleviate that, or if I should press my pumpkin through cheesecloth before mixing it in. I'm still not thrilled about the idea of returning to use Libby's pumpkin. We'll see what happens . . .