Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Pumpkin cheesecake cookies are the perfect dessert for cheesecake and pumpkin lovers. The soft pumpkin cookies are flavored with pumpkin pie spice and stuffed with vanilla cheesecake filling. This is a great cookie recipe to add to your fall baking list!
Ingredients for Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Cheesecake Filling
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Pumpkin puree – Use 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). We are removing the moisture from the puree to create a chewy cookie texture rather than cakey cookies.
- All-purpose flour
- Pumpkin pie spice – A combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and all-spice. Use store-bought or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Baking soda + baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Melted.
- Light brown sugar + granulated sugar – This combination of brown and white sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness and chewiness.
- Eggs – You will need one egg and one egg yolk.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great underlying vanilla flavor.
- Granulated sugar + ground cinnamon – To make cinnamon sugar coating to roll the cookie dough.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Make the cheesecake filling: Cream the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Use a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon) to portion the cream cheese filling and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Remove the moisture from the pumpkin puree: Spread the pumpkin puree over several layers of paper towels to remove the excess moisture until it reduces by half. Set aside.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). Set aside. Mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and dried pumpkin puree and mix until well combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough forms.
- Fill and chill the cookie dough: Portion the pumpkin cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons). Press a frozen cheesecake ball into the cookie dough and roll into a ball. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies: Roll the cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cookies to learn simple tips and tricks to make the most out of this recipe!
- I recommend keeping the cheesecake balls in the freezer until you are ready to stuff the cookies. Out of the freezer, the cream cheese mixture with soften quickly, so it is best to keep it frozen until you are ready to stuff each pan of the cookies.
- The easiest way to fill the cookies is to scoop the cookie dough in a large cookie scoop and then press the frozen cheesecake ball into the cookie dough in the cookie scoop. Press the cookie dough around the cheesecake filling and then remove the cookie dough from the cookie scoop.
- Immediately when the cookies come out of the oven, use the back of a spoon or a large round cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies so they are perfectly round.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cookies?
- Store the cookies in an airtight container or resealable storage bag at room temperature for 2 days.
Why do I need to dry the pumpkin puree?
- Pumpkin puree contains a ton of moisture, which would cause the pumpkin cookies to be cakey and not chewy.
- To add great pumpkin flavor without the cakey texture, we remove the moisture by blotting the pumpkin with paper towels. Blot the pumpkin until 2/3 cup becomes 1/3 cup.
Other Pumpkin Desserts You Will Love
- Frosted pumpkin cookies
- Mini pumpkin spice cheesecakes
- Pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies
- No bake pumpkin spice cheesecake
- Pumpkin spice cheesecake
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Yield: 22 cookies
Pumpkin cheesecake cookies are the perfect dessert for cheesecake and pumpkin lovers. The soft pumpkin cookies are flavored with pumpkin pie spice and stuffed with vanilla cheesecake filling. This is a great cookie recipe to add to your fall baking list!
Equipment
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz (227 g) cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
Pumpkin Cookies
- ⅔ cup (163 g) pumpkin puree with the moisture removed to equal ⅓ cup *See blog post for more information
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp (2 tsp) pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cups (330 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 1 (1) large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) cinnamon
Instructions
Cheesecake Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the room temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Use a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon) to portion out the cheesecake filling and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill the cheesecake filling in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Pumpkin Cookies
- First, remove the moisture from the pumpkin puree. Spread the pumpkin puree in a thin layer on several layers of paper towels. Use additional paper towels to blot the pumpkin puree until most of the moisture is removed and the pumpkin puree is dry. The pumpkin puree will reduce by half, so you should have ⅓ cup of pumpkin puree remaining. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, mix together the melted unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add in the dried pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined and smooth. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough forms.
- Portion the pumpkin cookie dough using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons). While the cookie dough is in the cookie scoop, press a frozen cheesecake ball into the center of the cookie and wrap the cookie dough around the cheesecake filling. Roll the cookie dough to form a smooth cookie dough ball. Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line baking sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Roll the chilled cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar to coat.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet pans, allowing room for spreading. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes until the edges are set. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
These cookies were an absolute favorite among my family and friends!!! I have been on a cookie baking roll lately and these are easily top 2 of the 10+ recipes that I have made recently! I am currently about to make another batch for a Halloween party! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!
Hi Brittany! So thrilled to hear that this is a favorite! Top 2? I’m honored! Thank you so much for the positive review!
Delicious! Lots of steps, but worth it!
Hi Keri! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. There are a lot of steps since it is a cookie with a filling, but well worth it!