These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies are soft, spiced pumpkin cookies stuffed with a sweet cream cheese center and optionally rolled in cinnamon sugar. They're cozy, indulgent, and the perfect fall treat when you're craving something a little extra special.
The texture is melt-in-your-mouth soft, with a creamy middle that stays gooey after baking. If you love pumpkin and cream cheese together, you'll also love my sourdough pumpkin cream cheese muffins and my pumpkin banana bread with cinnamon streusel.
Quick Look: Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
⏱️ Ready In: About 1 ½ hours (includes freezing the filling and chilling the dough)
🔥 Bake Time: 11–13 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 18 cookies
✨ Calories: Approximately 177 per cookie
🥄 Main Ingredients: Pumpkin purée, cream cheese, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
🌿 Dietary Info: Vegetarian (easily made dairy-free)
💛 Why You'll Love It: Soft, spiced pumpkin cookies stuffed with a creamy cheesecake center.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A gooey cheesecake center: A frozen cream cheese filling stays creamy inside the soft cookie — the same pumpkin-and-cream-cheese magic as my pumpkin cream cheese cinnamon rolls.
- Melt-in-your-mouth soft: Blotting the pumpkin keeps these soft without turning cakey.
- Cozy fall flavor: Pumpkin, cinnamon, and warm spice make them perfect for Halloween parties and Thanksgiving trays, just like my sourdough pumpkin banana muffins.
- A fun stuffed cookie: If you've never made a stuffed cookie, this is the best place to start — as approachable as my brown butter oatmeal cookies.
- Make-ahead friendly: Freeze the filling and dough ahead for easy fall baking.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Expert Tips
- What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies FAQs
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies Troubleshooting Guide
- Storage
- Other Pumpkin Recipes to Consider
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
For the cheesecake filling:
- cream cheese + powdered sugar + vanilla: Beaten smooth and frozen into scoops for a gooey center.
For the pumpkin cookie dough:
- all-purpose flour + leaveners + salt: The structure of the soft cookie.
- pumpkin pie spice: The cozy, warm spice base.
- butter + brown and granulated sugars: Creamed for a soft, tender cookie.
- pumpkin purée: Blotted to remove excess liquid so the cookies stay soft, not cakey.
- egg yolk + vanilla: For richness and flavor.
Optional cinnamon sugar for rolling: granulated sugar + cinnamon.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Brown sugar: Use all white sugar, though the cookies will be slightly less chewy.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Mix cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves or ginger.
- Salted butter: Works in place of unsalted — just reduce the added salt slightly.
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based butter and cream cheese for a dairy-free version.
- Chocolate twist: Add mini chocolate chips to the dough.
- Maple filling: Swap the vanilla in the filling for a bit of maple extract or syrup.
- Spiced sugar coating: Roll in pumpkin pie spice sugar instead of plain cinnamon sugar — the same warm coating I love on my pumpkin spice latte breakfast muffins.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Note: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.
Step 1: Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Scoop small teaspoons onto a parchment-lined plate (one per cookie) and freeze at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: Blot the pumpkin: Use paper towels to press as much moisture out of the pumpkin purée as possible. I started with 120g and ended with about 75g after blotting.
Step 3: Make the dough: Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes), then mix in the blotted pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Chill the dough 30 minutes for easier handling.
Step 4: Assemble and bake: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, flatten slightly, place a frozen cheesecake ball in the center, and wrap the dough around it, sealing completely. Roll in cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers look slightly soft. Cool on the tray 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for getting consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your recipes turn out exactly as intended every time.
Expert Tips
- Blot the pumpkin. This is the secret to soft, not cakey, cookies — press it with paper towels for 5–10 minutes until it's no longer watery.
- Freeze the filling solid. Frozen cheesecake centers are much easier to wrap and stay gooey inside after baking.
- Seal the dough completely. Wrap the dough fully around the filling so it doesn't leak while baking.
- Chill the dough. A 30-minute chill makes the sticky dough much easier to handle.
- Pull them slightly soft. Bake until the edges are set but the centers still look soft — they finish setting as they cool.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
The showstopper here is the frozen cheesecake center — a creamy, tangy pocket tucked inside a soft, spiced pumpkin cookie. Freezing the filling first is what keeps it gooey instead of melting into the dough, and blotting the pumpkin keeps the cookie soft rather than cakey. It's a fun, impressive stuffed cookie that's still totally approachable, like a handheld version of my pumpkin cream cheese cinnamon rolls.
They're also perfect for fall gatherings and cookie swaps alongside cozy bakes like my chewy sourdough gingerbread cookies and brown butter sugar cookies. Serve them with a pumpkin cream cold brew or a slice of pumpkin banana bread for the ultimate pumpkin-season spread.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies FAQs
Pumpkin purée holds a lot of moisture, which makes cookies cakey. Blotting it removes the excess so the cookies stay soft and tender.
Yes — use a plant-based butter and dairy-free cream cheese for both the dough and the filling.
Yes, it's important. Frozen cheesecake centers hold their shape while you wrap them and stay creamy inside the baked cookie.
Absolutely — freeze the filling and dough ahead, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cakey cookies | Pumpkin not blotted. | Press out the excess moisture (120g down to ~75g). |
| Filling leaked out | Dough not sealed, or filling not frozen. | Freeze the filling solid and wrap the dough fully around it. |
| Dough too sticky to handle | Not chilled. | Chill the dough 30 minutes before assembling. |
| Dry cookies | Overbaked. | Pull them when the edges are set but centers look soft. |
| Cracked cookies | Dough too cold or over-handled. | Let very cold dough sit a minute; seal gently. |
Storage
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They're best at room temperature or slightly warmed so the centers stay creamy.
- To freeze, arrange baked cookies in a single layer, freeze until solid, then transfer to a sealed bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge or microwave in 10-second bursts.
Other Pumpkin Recipes to Consider
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
For the cheesecake filling:
- 113 g cream cheese 4oz, softened
- 30 g powdered sugar ¼ cup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the pumpkin cookie dough:
- 240 g all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 113 g unsalted butter softened (½ cup)
- 100 g brown sugar packed (½ cup)
- 75 g granulated sugar ⅓ cup
- 120 g pumpkin purée ½ cup, blot excess liquid with a paper towel
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional cinnamon sugar for rolling:
- 50 g granulated sugar ¼ cup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Scoop 12 small teaspoons of filling onto a parchment-lined plate and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Blot the pumpkin puree: Measure out your pumpkin puree, then use a paper towel to blot as much moisture out of the pumpkin puree as possible.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Mix in blotted pumpkin purée, egg yolk, and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Chill the dough for 30 minutes for easier handling.
- Assemble the cookies: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, flatten slightly, place a frozen cheesecake ball in the center, and wrap dough around it, sealing completely. Roll in cinnamon sugar if desired.
- Bake: Arrange on a parchment-lined tray and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11–13 minutes, until edges are set but centers look slightly soft. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
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