Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookies check all the boxes when it comes to fall treats. Soft, chewy pumpkin spice cookies with a rich, sweet, and tangy cheesecake filling will have everyone coming back for more.
We love getting creative with our recipes, whether they be sweet or savory. There’s nothing more fun than taking something classic and putting a new spin on it, and that’s what we’ve done with these cookies. They combine all the flavors of fall into one sweet snack that everyone will love.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Both the dough and the filling use simple pantry staples.
- Easy to Make: These cookies come together quickly and easily, and even beginners will have no trouble with them.
- Classic Fall Flavor: The soft cookies are loaded with pumpkin spice, and the rich cheesecake filling has a nice kick of cinnamon, too.
- Versatile: These cookies make a great dessert, potluck item, or sweet treat at your holiday table.
🛒Ingredients
This recipe uses basic ingredients that are probably in your kitchen right now. If there’s anything you do need, you’ll find it quickly and easily at your local grocery store.
We’ve listed everything you need to make these cookies here, but you’ll find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- Cream cheese – softened
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Cinnamon
Cookie Dough
- Butter – softened
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin spice
For the Coating
- Sugar
- Pumpkin Spice
🔪 How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookies
Although these cookies are stuffed with cheesecake filling, they’re actually incredibly easy to make. Both the dough and the filling are simple, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: Make the Filling
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until smooth in a large bowl.
Step 3: Freeze
Scoop tablespoon-sized drops of the filling onto a tray lined with parchment paper and place it in the freezer.
Step 4: Combine the Wet Cookie Ingredients
Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
Step 5: Combine the Dry Cookie ingredients
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin spice together in a small bowl.
Step 6: Make the Cookie Dough
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Step 7: Chill
Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them on a baking tray. Chill for an hour.
Step 8: Make the Pumpkin Spice Coating
Whisk the remaining sugar and pumpkin spice together.
Step 9: Construct the Cookies
Flatten each ball of dough into a disc slightly larger than the filling. Then, place one dollop of filling between two flattened discs. Crimp the edges together to seal in the filling.
Step 10: Coat
Roll the cookies in the sugar pumpkin spice mixture and place them on a baking sheet 5 inches apart.
Step 11: Bake
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. Then, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. Enjoy!
📝Variations
- Plain Cookies: For plain pumpkin spice cookies, simply prepare the dough according to the directions and bake the discs until golden on the edges.
- Pumpkin Seeds: Try pressing toasted pumpkin seeds gently into the tops of the cookies before baking them for more flavor and texture.
- Gluten-Free: Use 1:1 gluten-free flour to make a gluten-free version.
If you think these cookies look good, then we think you’ll enjoy our pumpkin spice sugar cookies.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Electric mixer
- Baking sheets
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate these pumpkin spice cheesecake cookies for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them in single layers in an air-tight, freezer-safe container for up to a month.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookies
These cookies have classic flavors and a soft, chewy texture that makes them perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. They’re also a great addition to a larger dessert spread at holiday gatherings with all your favorite fall and holiday-themed sweets.
💭 Tips
- Be sure to beat the cream cheese until it’s soft and creamy for the best filling texture.
- The butter and brown sugar should be beaten until light and fluffy so it incorporates easily with the other dough ingredients. This creates a soft, chewy cookie.
- These cookies spread massively, so be sure to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour to ensure the butter doesn’t melt too quickly.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Many cookie dough recipes have a large amount of butter. As the butter melts, the cookies spread. Chilling the dough helps control the spread by ensuring the butter melts more slowly as the cookies bake.
It’s important to thoroughly crimp the edges of the cookies to keep the filling in place. Work your way carefully around the cookies, being sure to crimp the entire edge.
Cornstarch tenderizes the flour in the cookies and adds structure to the dough. This combination creates extra soft, chewy, and thick cookies.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy pumpkin spice? Then these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- ice cream scoop or cookie scoop
- Baking sheet or cookie sheet
- small bowl
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the cookies
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ⅓ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
Topping
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Instructions
- 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.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat some more.
- 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.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ c sugar and pumpkin spice together.
- 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!
- 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.
