Spiced Pumpkin Rum Cheesecake Trifle with Pumpkin Cookie Pieces

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope that you're all enjoying your holiday as much as I am!  I feel that I have so much to be thankful for this year including all my wonderful family and friends.  I wish that we could spend this Holiday together, but sometimes it just does not work out.

Even though I may not be hosting a big gathering this year (it's actually just Jeff and I) my kitchen is definitely busy and there are lots of different and wonderful smells coming from it.  Thanksgiving has always been Jeff's favorite holiday, so I decided awhile ago that I'd make a little turkey for the two of us, and some side dishes to go along with it, including a small, but tasty dessert.  And let's be honest....what better recipe is there to start a holiday post with other than dessert?

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Spiced Pumpkin Rum Cheesecake Trifle with Pumpkin Cookie Pieces
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Serves 4
Ingredients:
½ cup pumpkin
1 Tbsp. rum
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¾ tsp. light brown sugar
1 package sugar-free, cheesecake Jello pudding
Pumpkin cookies, broken into pieces
1 container cool whip

Directions:
For pumpkin pudding mixture:
In a small bowl combine the pumpkin, rum, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.  Stir or whisk together until well blended.

In a medium bowl, prepare the cheesecake Jello pudding according to package directions.  Once the pudding has thickened, this will occur after about 2 minutes of whisking, add in the spiced pumpkin mixture and continue to whisk together until completely incorporated.

To assemble:

Distribute some of the pumpkin cookie pieces evenly across the bottom of the bowls.  Layer the cookie pieces with a little of the pumpkin pudding mixture and top with cool whip.  Repeat the process as needed.

Garnish with a few extra pumpkin cookie pieces and place in the refrigerator.  Let the trifle sit for about an hour before serving.