As I’ve mentioned here before, Halloween wasn’t celebrated in France when I was growing up. I remember learning about trick or treat and dressing up while watching Friends and other TV shows, and from my American friends at school. The only time I celebrated it was in elementary school. We had a British nanny for a little while in Paris who took care of me and my brother while my parents were hard at work during the day. She sewed a matching pumpkin outfits for her and myself, complete with little tiny pumpkin hats. It was ridiculously cute.

Now that I’m settled in North America, I’m embracing the Halloween tradition, and what better way to do it than with some Halloween-themed treats? These little pumpkin cheesecake sandwiches are my take on an easy no-bake cheesecake. I use wafer cookies (the same one you would traditionally use to make the base of a cheesecake) and add a mixture of cream cheese and pumpkin puree. The only key to making this recipe successfully is to assemble the cookies at the last minute so that the wafer don’t become soggy. I added a little orange food colouring to make them nice and vibrant for Halloween, but it is of course optional. For more recipe ideas, take a look at my Halloween sweet treats on Style at Home.

What Halloween treats do you enjoy making?

No-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Sandwiches
Makes about 10 sandwiches
1 cup of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of pumpkin puree
2 tbls of sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp of orange food colouring (optional)
20-24 wafer cookies

Add the softened cream cheese to a medium-size bowl. Using a stand or hand-held mixer, beat for 1 minute. Mix in sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla and nutmeg. Fold in the food colouring if using.

Mix for another minute or until the mixture is homogeneous. Place to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or just until serving.

Right before serving, take the cheesecake batter out of the fridge. Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop add a couple tablespoons of batter at the center of half of the wafers. Top with the other half and gently press down to form a sandwich. Serve immediately.

Tip: Assemble the cookies at the last minute to prevent the wafer cookies from getting soggy.