These pumpkin cookies are stuffed with a cheesecake layer and studded with white chocolate chips. They are soft yet chewy. These pumpkin cheesecake cookies will become your favorite pumpkin cookie.
If you love pumpkin and cheesecake you need to try these cookies. They are incredible! Soft and chewy pumpkin cookie surrounds a sweet cream cheese filling. Studded through out the cookie is white chocolate chips. It’s unlike any other cookie. They are so delicious! Most pumpkin cookies are a bit cakey, but these pumpkin cheesecake cookies are chewy and soft. After testing the recipe many times I found that omitting the egg creates that soft and chewy cookie. Which is exactly what I wanted. Adding the white chocolate chips gave the cookies more texture and flavor.
Ingredients needed
For the pumpkin cookies
- Flour: To bring structure to the cookie
- Sugar: To add sweetness
- Butter: To make the cookies tender.
- Pumpkin puree: Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling!
- Spices: Pumpkin pie spice is used.
- Baking soda: Helps create a soft cookie
- White chocolate chips: Any white chocolate chips or chunks will work.
For the cream cheese filling
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
How to make cheesecake stuffed pumpkin cookies
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a bowl combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Place the cream cheese filling in the refrigerator so it can firm up.
- Make the cookies: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Then set aside. Melt the butter. Add the sugars and whisk until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Then add the flour and whisk until just incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and stir until just combined. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes or until dough is easy to work with.
- Form cheesecake balls: While the pumpkin cookie dough is chilling in the refrigerator, drop about ½ teaspoon of cheesecake mixture onto small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 16 cheesecake rounds). Place this in the freezer until cookie dough is ready.
- Assemble the cookies: Take about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten it out. Place the cheesecake ball in the center. Spread the cookie dough of the top of the cheesecake filling to seal. Lightly roll to form a ball. Place pumpkin cookies on baking sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes. They should be slightly puffed and not shiny. The sides of the cookies don’t brown so be careful not to over bake them.
Tips for success
- Don’t skip chilling and freezing the cheesecake filling. I found the chilling the cheesecake filling before forming them into balls makes it easier to handle the cheesecake filling. Freezing the cheesecake balls also makes it easier to seal the pumpkin cookie dough over the cheesecake. If you don’t freeze the cheesecake balls you may end up with cheesecake all over the cookie dough. Freezing for even 5 minutes will help!
- Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes. Chilling the dough helps the butter slightly firm up making the dough easier to handle. Otherwise, the dough is sticky and a little soft.
- Add more flour IF needed. The pumpkin cookie dough will be a little wet. If the pumpkin cookie dough looks very greasy and wet, add up to 2 tablespoons of flour. The dough should firm up after it has had time to chill. ( I found that different pumpkin puree can be more wet than others. So it depends on what brand you use.)
- If you’re not sure if the cookies are done baking, check the bottom of the cookie. The bottom of the cookie should be light golden brown.
More pumpkin recipes you need to try
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (easy)
If you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Comment and rate below. I would also love to see your creation! Share your photo by tagging tasty_treat_pantry on Instagram or Pinterest.
PrintRecipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
These pumpkin cookies are stuffed with a cheesecake layer and studded with white chocolate chips. They are soft yet chewy. These pumpkin cheesecake cookies will become your favorite pumpkin cookie.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
- Category: dessert
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin cookies
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ – ½ cup white chocolate chips
Cream cheese filling
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine softened cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Then place in refrigerator.
- In a small bowl whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Then set aside.
- In a medium bowl melt the butter. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Whisk until combined.
- Add the pumpkin puree and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and whisk until flour is just incorporated.
- Stir in ⅓ cup white chocolate chips. Place the pumpkin cookie dough into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to firm up. Or until cookie dough is easy to handle.
- While the dough is chilling, take the cream cheese filling out of the refrigerator. Line a plate, baking sheet or cutting board with parchment paper. Drop about ½ teaspoon of cream cheese filling onto parchment paper. Place in the freezer.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten. Place the cheesecake filling into the center of the pumpkin cookie dough. Spread the pumpkin cookie dough over the cheesecake filling to seal. Lightly roll into a ball and place on baking sheet. Add additional white chocolate chips on top, if desired.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes or until cookie dough is slightly puffed and no longer shiny. The bottoms of the cookie should be golden brown.
Notes
- Don’t skip chilling and freezing the cheesecake filling. I found the chilling the cheesecake filling before forming them into balls makes it easier to handle the cheesecake filling. Freezing the cheesecake balls also makes it easier to seal the pumpkin cookie dough over the cheesecake. If you don’t freeze the cheesecake balls you may end up with cheesecake all over the cookie dough. Freezing for even 5 minutes will help!
- Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes. Chilling the dough helps the butter slightly firm up making the dough easier to handle. Otherwise, the dough is sticky and a little soft.
- Add more flour IF needed. The pumpkin cookie dough will be a little wet. If the pumpkin cookie dough looks very greasy and wet, add up to 2 tablespoons of flour. The dough should firm up after it has had time to chill. ( I found that different pumpkin puree can be more wet than others. So it depends on what brand you use.)
- If you’re not sure if the cookies are done baking, check the bottom of the cookie. The bottom of the cookie should be light golden brown.
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