Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

These soft, chewy, pumpkin spice cookies are filled with a cheesecake filling. They are the perfect pumpkin cookie filled with a sweet cream cheese center and rolled into cinnamon sugar. You will love this Best Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Recipe!

Hello, pumpkin season! This is my favorite time of year. We have college football games playing all day long in the family room while I am baking up all of my favorite Fall recipes in the kitchen. The weather starts to cool down a little (takes just a tad longer here in Arizona) but we know it is around the corner.

My Pumpkin Snickerdoodles Recipe has been super popular in the Fall months because it is perfectly soft, chewy, with warm pumpkin and spice notes. Even Katie Couric has made them and loved them! So, I wanted to create a pumpkin cookie filled with a cream cheese filling that you get the best of both worlds.

Pumpkin cookies alone are delicious, but adding a creamy cheesecake filling takes them to another level. The contrast between the spiced pumpkin dough and the sweet, tangy cream cheese center creates a perfect balance. This is my new favorite Fall cookie!

I recipe tested these several times trying to get the ratios just right and every single time, I had a bunch of teenager recipe testers who happily gave me their feedback. They were gone in no time at all and they loved them!

I love to keep these in the freezer in a large Ziploc bag since it chills the cheesecake filling but the cookies are still soft and chewy. You have to try my Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe as well.

Ingredients:

What ingredients do you need to make homemade pumpkin cookies with cream cheese filling? Here you go…

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

• Cream Cheese – tangy and rich, it gives the “cheesecake” effect. Use full-fat cream cheese for best results.
• Granulated Sugar – sweetens the cream cheese. Make sure to stir for at least 1 minute to allow the sugar crystals to dissolve into the cream cheese.
• Vanilla Extract – rounds out the flavor with warm, aromatic notes. I like to use vanilla bean paste for more vanilla flavor.

Pro Tip: Freeze the cream cheese mixture into small scoops until solid. This makes it easier to roll inside the cookie dough without oozing out.

Pumpkin Cookie Dough:

• Butter – provides richness and structure. I suggest slightly softening the butter to make it easier to cream with the brown sugar and sugar.
• Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar – brown sugar adds moisture and a hint of molasses and granulated sugar helps the cookies bake up with the right texture.
• Egg Yolk – adds richness without extra liquid.
• Pumpkin Purée – the star ingredient! Use canned pure pumpkin puree with no additives (no pumpkin pie filing). But make sure to blot excess moisture with paper towels — canned pumpkin is watery, and too much liquid can make the cookies cakey instead of chewy.
• Vanilla Extract – deepens flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour – gives structure.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder – leavening agents for lift and softness.
• Pumpkin Spice – the flavor of fall! A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
• Salt – enhances all the flavors.

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:

• Granulated Sugar
• Cinnamon

How to make the Best Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies:

Step 1: Make the Cheesecake Fillling

1. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Scoop 2 teaspoon sized mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Freeze until solid (about 1 hour).

Step 2: Make the Pumpkin Cookie Dough

1. Remove excess moisture from pumpkin. Place 2–3 layers of paper towels on a large plate, cutting board, or baking sheet. Spoon the measured amount of pumpkin puree onto the paper towels. Spread it into an even layer. Gently press a paper towel on top of the pumpkin to remove excess moisture. After blotting, scrape the pumpkin into a bowl.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Mix in egg yolks, blotted pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract.
4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt. Mix until just combined.
5. Cover or wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes but ideally…chill for 1 hour.

Step 3: Assemble Cookies

1. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough and flatten it in your palm.
2. Place one frozen cheesecake ball in the center.
3. Wrap the dough around the filling, sealing it completely.
4. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Step 4: Roll into Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture

1. In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon.
2. Roll the cheesecake stuffed pumpkin cookie dough balls into the mixture covering well.
3. Place on baking sheet.

Step 4: Bake

1. Bake at 350°F for 11–14 minutes, until edges are set but centers are soft. Do NOT overbake as the cookies will continue to set up once removed from the oven.
2. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
3. TIP: Once the cookies have cooled, I like to store them in the freezer because it chills the cheesecake mixture.

You can store these cookies in the refrigerator or freezer and I like to keep them in the freezer so they don’t dry out and just allow them to come to room temperature for a few minutes.

Popular Pumpkin Cookie Recipes:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Popular Pumpkin Recipes:

The Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Best Pumpkin Bread

Milk Bar Hilly’s Pumpkin Caramel Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting