Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Recipe
Servings 18 cookies
These soft Pumpkin Cookies are filled with a sweetened cream cheese center that takes them from basic to bakery-style!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough
- 1 cup salted butter 227g, softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar 225g, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk additional
- ¾ cup 100% pumpkin 172g
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour 455g, spooned and leveled
- 1 (3.4oz.) box instant cheesecake pudding mix 96g, unprepared
- 2 tablespoons powdered milk 10g
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sugar Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Optional Topping
- ½ cup white chocolate melting wafers
- sprinkles
Instructions
Dough
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer (I highly recommend a stand mixer for this recipe) fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the 1 cup salted butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar, and 1 cup granulated sugar on medium speed (speed 4 on a stand mixer) for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Measure and spread the ¾ cup 100% pumpkin out in paper towels. I usually star with 2 of the select-a-size sheets on the bottom or 1 regular folded over, then press the pumpkin with another two sheets. Replace the top paper towel with 3 select a size sheets and flip so they are no on the bottom of the pumpkin. Discard the original bottom towels and replace with 3 more, pressing to 100g pumpkin after squeezing
- Add 1 large egg, mix then add 1 large egg yolk and 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract and mix just until the yolk is streaky throughout the dough.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the 3½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 (3.4oz.) box instant cheesecake pudding mix, 2 tablespoons powdered milk, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon baking soda. With the mixing beating at low (stir) speed, slowly add the flour mixture a cup at a time. If you have a flour shield for your mixer, I recommend using it as this recipe creates a lot of dough. Increase to medium speed and mix just until combined, then remove from the mixer to finish mixing with a rubber spatula or with your hands until the dough is fully combined and there's no more loose flour on the bottom of the bowl.
Filling
- Add 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a medium bowl and beat together until smooth. Set aside.
Coating
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Assemble
- Use a large #16 cookie scoop to make 2.7-ounce portions of dough. Flatten the ball of dough into a circle.
- Add 1 level tablespoon of cream cheese filling to the center of the dough. Fold the sides of the dough up and around the cream cheese filling, sealing all the cracks. There may be some small cracks on the exterior of the dough, which is fine.
- Roll the cookie balls in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated.
- Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each (9 cookies will fit on a 12x17-inch cookie sheet slightly offset from each other).
- Bake the cookies one cookie sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are just turning light brown. The centers should still be very soft and look slightly puffy and underdone. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- (OPTIONAL) Once cooled, melt the ½ cup white chocolate melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl at 30-second intervals, stirring after each one, until fully melted. Transfer to a small piping bag or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off, then drizzle over the top of the cookies and let set. If adding sprinkles, make sure to add them before the chocolate sets.
- Let cookies sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before enjoying. This lets the cookie finish cooking internally and set up properly.
Notes
- This recipe will require 2 to 3 batches. I recommend using two cookie sheets so that you can keep things moving since the cookies need to cool on the cookie sheet.
- The powdered milk can be left out as it won't impact the texture. However, it adds so much in terms of flavor, even though it seems like a small amount.
- Creaming the butter and sugar for 2 minutes is important to the final structure of the cookie; do not shortcut this.
- There will likely be some flour that settles in the bottom of the bowl; make sure you get this all mixed in. Do not just start cooking off the dough from the top, or you'll end up with a couple of dry cookies near the end. Use a rubber spatula or your hands to work the drier bits into the dough. Do not just keep mixing in the mixer; this will overwork the dough and won't be as effective. This was my experience with a stand Artisan 4.5 qt mixer; it may come together just fine with a larger size.
- A ¼ cup measuring cup can also be used to portion out the dough.
Nutrition
Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 1381IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
Find it online: www.sugarandsoul.co/pumpkin-cheesecake-cookies/