Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Perfectly spiced pumpkin cheesecake cookies are our favorite way to greet the changing seasons! These fall treats feature a soft and chewy spice cookie, delicious pumpkin cream cheese filling and easy cinnamon sugar coating!

We’re diving into fall baking season with these pumpkin cheesecake cookies that are sure to fill your kitchen with cozy autumn aromas! The pumpkin stuffed cookies are perfect for a Halloween treat and make a great addition to any Thanksgiving dessert spread!

Looking for more ways to use up those cans of pumpkin puree? Make sure to check out our easy turmeric pumpkin soup and chipotle pumpkin mac and cheese!

making stuffed cookies

Making stuffed cookies is easier than you might think. Here’s a quick breakdown of the process:

1. Make the cookie dough and chill for two hours.
2. Mix up the cheesecake filling. Drop spoonfuls of the filling onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (1-2 hours).
3. Encase each frozen dollop of filling in cookie dough.
4. Roll in cinnamon sugar, bake and enjoy!

molasses spice cookies

We’ll be using a chewy spice cookie dough for these fall inspired treats. A combination of brown sugar and molasses gives these cookies a perfectly soft texture with just the right amount of spread in the oven.

One ingredient note: you’ll want to use unsulphured molasses here and make sure to stay away from anything labeled “blackstrap,” which will have a stronger, more bitter flavor. 

the spices

As for the spices, I like to use a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. The cinnamon and ginger are pretty essential for that classic spice cookie flavor, but you can play with the other spices depending on what you have in your cupboard.

Cardamom or a pinch of allspice would make great additions to these cookies. About 2.5-3 teaspoons total of ground spices is the perfect amount!

pumpkin cheesecake filling

For the pumpkin cheesecake filling you’ll need just three ingredients:

• Pumpkin puree: Use 100% pumpkin puree and avoid pumpkin pie filling which has additional ingredients
• Cream cheese: Make sure you’re using full fat in brick form (not the spread)
• Powdered sugar: To sweeten and thicken the mixture

After mixing up your cheesecake filling you’ll need to freeze it so that it’s easier to stuff inside the cookie dough. The best way to do this is to portion it out ahead of time. Drop spoonfuls of the filling onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer until frozen solid.

baking tips for stuffed cookies

• Using the correct amount of flour is essential when making stuffed cookies. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, make sure to use the spoon and level method to avoid over-measuring your flour. Lightly spoon flour into the measuring cup until it’s completely full. Then run the back of a knife over the cup to gently scrape off any excess.
• The cookie dough should be chilled in the refrigerator and the cheesecake filling should be frozen solid before trying to stuff the cookies. Skipping these steps will make the process messy and difficult.
• If your cookies have gotten a bit warm after forming, you can place them in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before baking. This will help keep them from spreading too much in the oven.

For more fall baking favorites, make sure to check out these recipes!

• spiced pumpkin pie
• baked apple cider donuts
• mini s’mores cheesecakes
• sharlotka | russian apple cake
• apple crumble cheesecake

pumpkin cheesecake cookies

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• Author: Brittney
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Chill Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 57 minutes
• Yield: 24

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Description

These pumpkin cheesecake cookies feature a chewy spice cookie, delicious pumpkin cream cheese filling and easy cinnamon sugar coating!

Ingredients

spice cookies

• butter, softened ¾ c (170 g)
• granulated sugar ½ c (100 g)
• dark brown sugar ½ c (100 g)
• egg 1 large
• vanilla extract 1 tsp
• molasses* ¼ c (80 g)
• all purpose flour 2.5 c (310 g)
• (spooned and leveled*)
• baking soda 1.5 tsp
• salt ¼ tsp
• ground cinnamon 1.5 tsp
• ground ginger ½ tsp
• ground cloves ½ tsp
• ground nutmeg ¼ tsp

pumpkin cheesecake filling

• cream cheese, softened 4 oz (115 g)
• pumpkin puree ⅔ c (150 g)
• powdered sugar ½ c (60 g)

cinnamon sugar topping

• granulated sugar ¼ c (50 g)
• ground cinnamon ½ tsp

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Instructions

spice cookies

1. Beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and smooth.
2. Add the egg and mix until smooth.
3. Mix in the vanilla extract and molasses.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
6. Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

pumpkin cheesecake filling

1. Beat together the softened cream cheese and pumpkin puree until smooth.
2. Mix in the powdered sugar. Continue beating until smooth.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop heaping ½ tablespoons of filling onto the baking sheet. The mixture won’t be extremely thick, but should hold its shape. Add additional powdered sugar to thicken if necessary.
4. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until frozen solid.

assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Portion out the dough into balls using about 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Use your hands to flatten the dough. Place a piece of frozen filling in the middle and carefully wrap the dough around it, pinching to close. Use the palms of your hands to roll the cookie dough into a ball.
3. Combine the cinnamon and granulated sugar in a shallow dish and roll each stuffed cookie dough ball through the mixture.
4. Place the formed cookies on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
5. Bake for 12 minutes.
6. Let the cookies sit for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Molasses: Make sure you’re using unsulphured molasses (something like Grandma’s Molasses) and stay away from anything labeled “blackstrap,” which has a stronger and more bitter flavor.

Spooned and leveled: We highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure flour. If measuring by volume, use the spoon and level method to avoid over-measuring the flour. Lightly spoon flour into the measuring cup until it’s completely full. Then run the back of a knife over the cup to gently scrape off any excess.

Chilling before baking: Prior to baking, you can place the stuffed and formed cookies in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to help them hold their shape. This can be especially helpful if your cookie dough has become a bit warm while working with it.

Storing: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days or up to a week in the fridge. The baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months.

• Category: desserts
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: american

Keywords: pumpkin cheesecake cookies, pumpkin cream cheese cookies

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