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Soft, golden-brown pumpkin Cheesecake cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar with a creamy white cream cheese filling visible in the center

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies


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  • Author: Inez Rose
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 24 cookies 1x

Description

Soft, chewy pumpkin spice cookies stuffed with sweet cream cheese filling and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Perfect for fall baking and holiday cookie trays.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (I use Philadelphia)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pumpkin Cookie Dough:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée, blotted dry
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Spiced Sugar Coating:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Cream Cheese Filling Beat your cream cheese until it’s smooth – about 2 minutes with my hand mixer. Add the sugar and vanilla, mix until combined. Now here’s the key: scoop this into 24 small balls (I use a teaspoon) and freeze them solid. Takes about 30 minutes, but don’t skip this or you’ll have leaky cookies.

Step 2: Blot That Pumpkin Spread your pumpkin purée on paper towels and press more towels on top. You want to remove as much liquid as possible – I usually get about 2-3 tablespoons out. This step is why your cookies will be chewy instead of mushy.

Step 3: Mix the Cookie Dough Whisk your dry ingredients in one bowl. In another, mix the blotted pumpkin with melted butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients just until mixed. Don’t overmix – nobody wants tough cookies.

Step 4: Chill Everything Cover your dough and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour. I often make this the night before because cold dough is way easier to work with.

Step 5: Assemble Time Preheat to 350°F. Take about 2 tablespoons of dough, flatten it, put a frozen cream cheese ball in the center, and wrap it up. Seal those edges tight – any gaps and your filling escapes. Roll in the cinnamon sugar mix.

Step 6: Bake 12-14 minutes, until the edges look set but centers are still soft. They’ll keep cooking on the hot pan, so don’t overbake. Let them cool completely before eating – the filling needs time to set up.

Notes

Get yourself a small cookie scoop for the filling – way easier than trying to make them all the same size with a spoon. When you’re wrapping the dough, slightly wet hands stop it from sticking to your fingers. I learned to make smaller filling balls than I thought I needed because they puff up when they bake.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 14 minutes
  • Category: Dessert, Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 145
  • Sugar: 12g
  • Sodium: 95mg
  • Fat: 6g
  • Saturated Fat: 4g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 22g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 35mg