Some recipes call for pumpkin cheesecakes to be cooked in a water bath; however, there is enough cream, cheese and pumpkin in this recipe to preserve the moisture. The nutty, mildly sweet crust is a perfect accompaniment to the flavors of the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and place the oven rack in the middle.

Butter a 9-½ inch or 10-inch springform pan and grease.

To make the crust: In a food processor, blend together graham crackers, pecans, sugars and butter until a coarse combined mixture. Press the crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom and ½-inch up the side of the pan. Chill the crust for 1 hour.

To make the filling: Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in granulated sugar and the brown sugar, then beat in the eggs in 3 additions until the mixture is thoroughly combined, scraping the bowl a few times.

In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin purée and heavy cream with vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add to the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined, scraping the bowl a few times. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the bourbon until well combined.

To assemble and bake: Pour the cheesecake into the prepared pan and place onto a baking sheet. Place in the middle of the oven, and bake for 50 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the center of the cheesecake is still slightly shaky.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream granulated sugar and vanilla. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and pour on the sour cream topping. Gently tap the pan to spread the topping and continue baking the cheesecake for 10 more minutes.

Transfer the cheesecake to a rack and let cook for an hour. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight. If you like, remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan by sliding a metal spatula under the crust to loosen it completely, and then use 2 large metal spatulas to transfer the cake to a serving plate. Alternatively, serve the cheesecake on the pan bottom.

Baked cheesecake can last up to 2 days chilled and covered.

Mini- Bourbon and Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Perfectly portioned decadence presents smooth bourbon-infused pumpkin on a crunchy pecan crust.

Yields 24 mini-cheesecakes

Pre-heat the oven to 350-degrees.

Grease or spray a mini-cheesecake pan. Place 1 tablespoon of graham cracker crust mixture into the bottom of each mini-cheesecake pan, and press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill the crust for 20 minutes.

While the crust is chilling, make the pumpkin and bourbon filling. Pour the filling into the prepared cheesecake pans with crust to the top, smoothing the surface. Bake in the center of the oven, on a baking sheet until the edges are firm and the center is still slightly shaky, about 20 minutes.

Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and spread sour cream topping on the top of each cheesecake and bake until the cream mixture just starts to set, about 7 minutes.

Remove the cheesecakes from the oven, and allow to cool on a rack for 5 minutes Place the pan in the refrigerator to cool for at least 25 minutes, and serve.