Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make 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 ¼ cup sugar and melted butter and stir 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 a double layer of aluminum foil, securing the foil partway 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 for 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and mix until smooth, but don’t over mix. Pour the filling into the prepared pan.

Place in a water bath: Boil a small pot of water. Place the prepared springform pan inside a larger roasting pan. Pour about 1 inch of boiling water into the pan, around the inside edges of the roasting 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.

Bake: Carefully place cheesecake, in the water bath, into the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the sides of the cheesecake have set and the center is just barely jiggly.

Cool: Lift the cheesecake out of the 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.