Pumpkin Cheesecake Ghosts

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend over two opposite sides for easy lifting later.
2. In a food processor, grind the chocolate wafer cookies into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture is uniform. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes, then set the pan on a wire rack to cool.
3. While the crust cools, clean the food processor bowl. Pulse the cream cheese, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add the flour and salt, pulsing just to combine. Measure out ¼ cup of this mixture and set aside. To the rest, add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, pulsing until fully incorporated.
4. Spread the pumpkin mixture evenly over the cooled crust. To form the ghosts, arrange 3 rows of 4 ghosts each. For each ghost, drop 1 teaspoon of the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the pumpkin layer. Using the back of a spoon, gently drag it through the cream cheese in an "S" motion to create a ghost shape. Clean the spoon after each ghost.
5. Bake the cheesecake until the edges are set but the center still wobbles slightly, about 30 to 34 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely. Then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
6. To serve, lift the cheesecake out of the pan using the parchment overhang and place it on a cutting board. Press mini chocolate chips onto each ghost for eyes and a mouth. Slice into 12 rectangular pieces.