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A tray of pumpkin cheesecake cookies
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5 from 7 votes

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies

The perfect fall cookie recipe! Not too sweet with just a touch of pumpkin and a little bit of spice. The cheesecake filling adds a layer of decadence. Great for holiday parties, Thanksgiving, and Halloween! Recipe adapted from Jennifer Bragdon.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Christmas, Holiday, Thanksgiving
Diet: Low Salt, Vegetarian
Servings: 30 cookies
Calories: 147kcal
Author: Alicia

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cookies

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature * to soften, take butter out of the fridge and leave it on the counter for an hour or so before you plan to start baking. Do not heat butter to soften it.
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (no spices added)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 4 oz block-style cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • cinnamon for decoration

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you have silicone baking mats, line two baking sheets with them. Otherwise, line each baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • In a large mixing bowl add butter and stir till light and fluffy, then add brown and white sugar till smooth. Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix using an electric mixer until combined.
  • In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Stir gently with a fork or whisk. Slowly add dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl with wet ingredients and continue mixing until all ingredients are well combined. Do not overmix. 
  • Scoop dough out using a spoon or 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop (filling it just slightly heaping). Drop onto prepared baking sheet spacing cookies about 2-inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes, till just brown around the edges. Leave on the baking sheet and make an indent in the center of the cookie with your finger while still warm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile in a medium mixing bowl add soft butter, room temperature cream cheese, and vanilla. Blend with an electric mixer till light and fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and continue mixing until it looks smooth. This is better kept at room temperature to spread on the cookies otherwise it will be too hard to frost them well. You can always put in the fridge to store and then wait for it to come to room temp.
  • Once cookies have cooled slightly (about 15 minutes), add the cheesecake filling to the center indent and sprinkle with brown sugar. Store in an airtight container (in single layers divided by wax paper) in refrigerator (see more storage suggestions in post). Bring cookies back to room temperature before serving.

Video

Notes

  • Store these in an airtight container with parchment in between layers. You can also freeze these and defrost at room temperature.
  • Philadelphia cream cheese, organic valley, and publix greenwise are all good brands for cream cheese. Make sure you buy it in block form and not a tub.
  • You may not use all the frosting (I usually have approximately ¼ cup left), so store it in a small bowl or bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1447IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg