Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
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These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies are easy to make, chewy, and stuffed with a cream cheese filling and have a burst of fall spices. These fluffy pumpkin cookies are the perfect treat for fall and winter and are so delicious. The flavor is similar to a pumpkin roll but in a cookie form. So pumpkin lovers, get ready. Because these cookies are for you, we think you all will love them.
🍁 Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice
These delicious pumpkin cookies are perfectly spiced and made with real pumpkins. Premade pumpkin pie spice can be used, or individual ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg can be used. If using individual spices and you want a robust and deeper flavor with a little bite, add a pinch of black pepper and cardamom.
🍪 Ingredients
These cookies are irresistibly soft and chewy that have bursts of fall spices. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for these pumpkin cookies with a creamy cheesecake filling:
- Room Temperature Butter. You can use unsalted butter or salted butter. The only thing we recommend if using salted butter is to reduce the salt by 1/4 tsp.
- Granulated Sugar. You can use white or cane sugar for these cookies.
- Dark Brown Sugar. We love using dark brown sugar for the robust molasses flavor, and they make these cookies chewy in texture. However, light brown sugar would work too.
- Room Temperature Egg Yolks. To keep these cookies chewy, we are using egg yolks only.
- Vanilla Extract. To add a rounded flavor to these cookies, I recommend a splash of vanilla extract. We also will use some for the filling too.
- Strained Pumpkin Puree. You can use canned pumpkin puree or fresh pumpkin. The key is to squeeze out the extra moisture from the pumpkin puree. Canned pumpkin puree will also have less moisture than fresh pumpkins, but you will still need to strain the excess liquid. Doing this makes these cookies chewy instead of pillowy.
- All-Purpose Flour. We have only tested regular unbleached all-purpose flour for these cookies.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. We are only using a tsp for the pumpkin flavor. Or, you can use individual ingredients. For these cookies, we recommend 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ginger, and 1/2 tsp allspice.
- Baking Soda. We only need a little leavening for these cookies, so we only use baking soda.
- Salt. If using salted butter, you will want to reduce salt by 1/4 tsp. Salt brings out all the flavors in these cookies.
- Softened Cream Cheese. To make the cheesecake filling, we are using cream cheese, extra granulated sugar, and a splash of vanilla.
🥚 Instructions
These chewy pumpkin cookies are easy to make, and the essential tools you need to make them are cookie sheets, parchment paper, a small bowl, an electric mixer, a hand mixer or a whisk, and a large (3-inch) and small (2-inch) cookie scoops.
- Make Cream Cheese Filling. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Use a small (2-inch) cookie scoop to scoop out cheesecake balls onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place in the freezer while making cookie dough to firm up for about 30-minutes.
- Strain Pumpkin Puree. Add pumpkin puree to the center of a cheesecloth or a thin dark dish towel and gently squeeze the towel to remove the excess liquid. Measure out strained pumpkin puree for the cookie recipe, which is 1/2 cup.
- Mix Wet Ingredients. Add strained pumpkin puree, room temperature butter, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla extract to a medium or large mixing bowl. Blend with a mixer until fluffy. Then, mix in room-temperature egg yolks, one at a time.
- Mix in Dry Ingredients. Add all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice (or individual ingredients) to the same bowl. Mix until a dough forms.
- Assemble Cookies. Using a large (3-inch) cookie scoop, scoop out pumpkin cookie dough balls and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Press cookies down flat and create a well in the center of the cookies. Add 1 chilled cream cheese filling to the center of the cookie and add another cookie on top. Pinch the sides down on the cookies and lay the cookie on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough and filling leaving about 2 inches in between as these cookies will spread when baking. Sprinkle some pumpkin spice sugar on top for extra flavor.
- Bake Cookies. Once the oven is preheated to 350 °F, bake cookies for about 20-22 minutes or until golden brown on the sides. Remove from oven and gently transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely (about 10 minutes) before enjoying.
FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature.
This would be because your pumpkin puree still had excess moisture in it. To make these cookies chewy, you want to strain the pumpkin puree to remove all the excess liquid. The pumpkin should be dry enough that it goes from 1 cup pumpkin puree to 1/2 cup strained. Of course, if you use your own pumpkin puree, you will have more liquid than a can of pumpkin puree.
Yes, you can freeze the dough for up to 2-months. Be sure to store them in freezer-friendly bags.
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies are easy to make, chewy, soft, and delicious. They are the perfect fall treat to enjoy throughout the pumpkin season, and we hope you all love them. Enjoy! ♡
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup pumpkin puree strained
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 egg yolks room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1, 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Make Cream Cheese Filling. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Use a small (2-inch) cookie scoop to scoop out cheesecake balls onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place in the freezer while making cookie dough to firm up for about 30-minutes.
- Strain Pumpkin Puree. Add pumpkin puree to the center of a cheesecloth or a thin dark dish towel and gently squeeze the towel to remove the excess liquid. Approximately 1 cup of pumpkin puree = 1/2 cup strained.
- Mix Wet Ingredients. Add strained pumpkin puree, room temperature butter, granulated and brown sugars, and vanilla extract to a medium or large mixing bowl. Blend with a mixer until fluffy. Then, mix in room-temperature egg yolks, one at a time.
- Mix in Dry Ingredients. Add all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the same bowl. Mix until a dough forms.
- Assemble Cookies. Using a large (3-inch) cookie scoop, scoop out pumpkin cookie dough balls and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Press cookies down flat and create a well in the center of the cookies. Add 1 chilled cream cheese filling to the center of the cookie and add another cookie on top. Pinch the sides down on the cookies and lay the cookie on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough and filling leaving about 2 inches in between as these cookies will spread when baking. Sprinkle some pumpkin spice sugar on top for extra flavor (optional).
- Bake Cookies. Once the oven is preheated to 350 °F, bake cookies for about 20-22 minutes or until golden brown on the sides. Remove from oven and gently transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely (about 10 minutes) before enjoying.
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