Ingredients
Scale
Cheesecake Filling
- 6 ounces chilled cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Pumpkin Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- â…“ cup pumpkin puree, blotted well with paper towels to remove moisture
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl with a mixer or hand-held mixer until smooth. Scoop portions about 1½ teaspoons in size onto a parchment-lined sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes. You may have extra filling; discard any that is left over.
- Melt the butter in a medium bowl and let it cool slightly. Whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until incorporated. Whisk in the blotted pumpkin puree, egg yolk, and vanilla. Then whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Fold in the flour using a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined. The dough will be sticky. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes or freeze for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, measure about 2 tablespoons of chilled cookie dough and flatten it into a disc. Place a frozen cream cheese ball in the center. Wrap the dough around the filling and roll it into a ball, then roll it in the pumpkin spice sugar.
- Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12–14 minutes; the original recipe notes that 13 minutes worked well. Keep the remaining dough covered in the refrigerator between batches so it stays cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Blot the pumpkin puree well with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Do not overmix the flour into the dough. Mix just until combined to help prevent flat cookies.
- Keep the dough well chilled. Warm cookie dough may spread during baking.
- Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place them in a freezer bag, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Cookie dough can also be frozen. Freeze the dough balls individually, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen without thawing for 14–15 minutes.
- The recipe yields 14 cookies.
- Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be treated as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American