Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Gingersnap Crust: Use a food processor to crush the cookies into fine crumbs. Measure out 2 cups of crumbs and pour them into a mixing bowl. Add melted butter and stir well to combine. Press the gingersnap crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and about half way up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan.

Prep Cheesecake Pan: Cover the outside bottom of the springform pan with two layers of aluminum foil, securing the foil up the outer sides of the pan. (Or, skip this step and place the springform pan inside a cheesecake wrap).

Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside while you make the cheesecake filling.

Pumpkin Cheesecake batter: In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth. (It's essential that the cream cheese is softened, so that there are no lumps in the batter). Add the the sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and mix until smooth, but don’t over mix. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

Place in a water bath: Place the cheesecake inside of a larger oven-safe pan. Add about 1 inch of very hot water around the inside edges of the larger pan. (The humidity and bubbling of the water while the cake bakes helps the cheesecake cook evenly and helps prevent cracks in the surface of the cheesecake). The water bath is recommended but optional. See notes.

Bake: Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the sides of the cheesecake have set and the center is just barely jiggly.

Cool: Remove cheesecake from water bath, remove the foil from around the pan, and allow cheesecake to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Then. refrigerate the cheesecake for several hours before serving.

Remove springform pan: Once the cheesecake has chilled in the fridge, remove the pan sides (I like to gently run a dull butter knife along the inner edge of the pan before I release the springform pan sides).

Serve with caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought) and whipped cream on top, if desired.