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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies are soft and comforting pumpkin-inspired cookies, filled with sweet cream cheese and coated in pumpkin pie spice sugar for added crunchy texture!

Stacked  and broken in half pumpkin cheesecake cookies on a cream plate.

‘Tis the season for all-things pumpkin, and these pumpkin cheesecake cookies are begging to be added to your holiday baking! If you love pumpkin cookies, you need to also try my pumpkin oatmeal cookies.

The pumpkin spice cookie dough covers a sweet cream cheese filling, rolled in pumpkin pie spice sugar mix and baked until golden and crispy on the edges. Enjoy your soft and chewy pumpkin cheesecake cookies with a glass of milk, your afternoon coffee, or with a scoop of ice cream.

๐ŸŒŸ WHY YOU’LL LOVE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE COOKIES

These pumpkin cheesecake cookies are scrumptious fall-inspired cookies with a creamy surprise in the center!

The cookie dough and cream cheese mixture can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge and freezer until you’re ready to assemble them and bake.

The pumpkin pie spice sugar coating adds an irresistible crunch that’ll have everyone coming back for more!

๐Ÿฝ KEY INGREDIENTS

Pumpkin cheesecake cookies ingredients on a marble countertop.

Filling – The cookie filling consists of a mixture of softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon.

Cookie dough – Combine softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin spice.

Cookie coating – This simple sugar and pumpkin spice cookie coating adds extra warmth and sweetness as well as a delicious crunchy texture.

Swaps

Filling Almond extract could be used instead of vanilla extract.

Gluten-free – Use gluten-free flour if you want these cookies to be gluten-free.

Two pumpkin cheesecake cookies on a white plate.

๐Ÿฅฃ EQUIPMENT

You’ll need a baking tray, parchment paper, a large and small bowl, cookie scoop, and an electric beater.

๐Ÿ”ช HOW TO MAKE

These pumpkin cookies are made with pumpkin spice cookie dough, a cream cheese center, and a coating of pumpkin pie spice sugar mix. Here are my simple steps to whip up a batch of my new favorite pumpkin-inspired cookies:

Preparations

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and gather your ingredients.

Cooking Instructions

Step 1
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth.

A large mixing bowl with cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, salt, and pumpkin spice with electric beater metal attachments.

Step 2
Scoop tablespoon sized drops of cookie filling on a parchment paper-lined tray. Place the tray in the freezer to harden.

Scoops of pumpkin cheesecake cookie filling placed on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.

Step 3
Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until fully incorporated.

In a separate and small bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin spice together. Add this mixture to the cookie batter and mix until thoroughly combined.

Scoop the cookie dough into tablespoon sized balls and place them on a baking tray to chill for an hour.

Pumpkin cheesecake cookie dough ingredients beaten together with an electric beater in a large bowl.

Step 4
Remove the chilled balls of cookie dough from the freezer and flatten each one to a disc slightly larger than the cream cheese filling.

Place one dollop of cream cheese in the center of a flattened cookie dough disc and then cover it with another flattened cookie dough disc.

A flattened pumpkin cheesecake cookie dough disk with a frozen cream cheese dollop in the center.

Step 5
Crimp the edges of the cookie dough discs together to seal in the cream cheese. Do this for each cookie.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while you assemble each cookie.

Two pumpkin cheesecake cookie dough discs crimped together to hold a dollop of the frozen cream cheese filling.

Step 6
While the oven preheats, make the sugar spice mixture in a small bowl.

Roll each cookie in the sugar spice and then place the coated cookies on the prepared baking tray, about 5 inches apart from each other as the cookies will spread while baking.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn golden. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

Small bowl with sugar and pumpkin spice. Assembled pumpkin cheesecake cookie rolled in the sugar spice mixture.

๐Ÿ’ญ COOKING TIPS

Chilling the cookie dough helps prevent the assembled cookies from spreading too much. Freezing the cream cheese mixture is also necessary to stop it from oozing out of the soft baking cookies.

Make the pumpkin cheesecake cookie dough and the cream cheese mixture a day or two ahead of baking your cookies and store these elements in the fridge and freezer. Simply assemble the cookies and bake them when ready to enjoy!

Make sure to crimp the edges of the cookie dough disks when covering the cream cheese dollops so that the heated cream cheese center doesn’t ooze out.

These pumpkin cheesecake cookies will be extremely soft immediately after baking. Allow the cookies to cool completely to allow them to firm up.

๐Ÿฅ— WHAT TO SERVE WITH PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE COOKIES

Enjoy these pumpkin cheesecake cookies as a sweet snack, dessert, or take them to your next potluck! Here’s what you can pair these cookies with.

PUMPKIN DESSERT BOARD

Serve an array of pumpkin-inspired treats for your Fall parties or Thanksgiving. Add these pumpkin cheesecake cookies to a dessert board with pumpkin spice cupcakes, baked pumpkin spice donuts, pumpkin cheesecake bars, and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.

ICE CREAM

Serve 1-2 cookies in a bowl of creamy ice cream for dessert.

BEVERAGES

Nothing beats a tall glass of creamy milk with these soft and delicious pumpkin cheesecake cookies! These cookies also pair well with a hot coffee, hot chocolate, or even a milkshake or smoothie.

Two pumpkin cheesecake cookies on a white serving plate, additional cookies on a long wooden serving board, small bowl with pumpkin spice and a small metal whisk, cinnamon sticks on the wooden table along with a cream kitchen cloth.

๐Ÿ™‹ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ARE THESE COOKIES GLUTEN-FREE?

Most of my cookie recipes use all-purpose flour to make the cookie dough. Feel free to use gluten-free flour instead. Be careful using plant-based flours as these often require different quantities of liquid.

DO I HAVE TO CHILL THE COOKIE DOUGH AND CREAM CHEESE?

Yes! Don’t skip refrigerating the cookie dough and freezing the cream cheese dollops. The structure of your cookies depends on it.

WHAT MAKES THESE PUMPKIN COOKIES?

These cookies are made with pumpkin spice, offering that familiar flavor associated with many treats during pumpkin season.

๐ŸงŠ STORING AND โ™จ๏ธ REHEATING

FRIDGE

Store these pumpkin cheesecake cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

FREEZER

Leftover pumpkin cheesecake cookies store well in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the hardened cookies soften slightly at room temperature before serving again.

REHEAT

Allow the cookies to sit at room temperature or reheat them for a short time in the microwave, air fryer, or oven if you enjoy warm cookies.

๐Ÿณ MORE SCRUMPTIOUS PUMPKIN COOKIES

๐Ÿ‘ช SERVING SIZE

This recipe makes a total of 18 cookies. You can easily halve or double the recipe to suit your needs.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ๐ŸŒŸ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

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๐Ÿ“‹ RECIPE

Yield: 18 Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookies

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies are soft and comforting pumpkin-inspired cookies, filled with sweet cream cheese and coated in pumpkin pie spice sugar for added crunchy texture!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 27 minutes

Ingredients

For the Filling

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ยผ c sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ยฝ tsp salt
  • ยฝ tsp cinnamon

Cookie Dough

  • 1 c butter, softened
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 โ…“ c flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • ยฝ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp pumpkin spice

For Coating

  • ยผ c sugar
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice

Instructions

    1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until smooth. Scoop tablespoon sized drops of the filling on a parchment paper lined tray. Place the tray in the freezer.
    2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat some more.
    3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and pumpkin spice together. Add to the batter and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into tablespoon sized balls and place on a baking tray. Chill the dough for an hour.
    4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ c sugar and pumpkin spice together.
    5. Take each ball of dough and flatten to a disc slightly larger than the cream cheese filling, place one dollop of cream cheese in the center of 2 flattened cookies and crimp the edges together to seal in the cream cheese. Roll the cookie in the sugar/spice mixture and place on a baking tray spaced 5” apart. Cookies will spread to about a 4-5” diameter while baking, so leave plenty of space!
    6. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden. Remove and allow the cookies to cool completely.
    7. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 4 days.

Nutrition Information

Yield

18

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 265Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 61mgSodium 315mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 1gSugar 16gProtein 3g

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