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Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
These spiced pumpkin cream cheese cookies are one of my new favorite fall treats.
Have you surrendered to pumpkin spice season yet? Though I’ve been trying my hardest to hang on to the last days of summer, it is definitely feeling like fall. It’s mid-October, the days are growing shorter, there is a chill in the air, and the leaves in London have begun to turn from vibrant green into shades of red, orange, and gold.
It’s Pumpkin Spice Season!
While I haven’t had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season just yet, but I have enjoyed a salted caramel & maple latte (the superior drink, if you’re a maple-lover like me!) or two.
The seasonal Starbucks beverages, autumn leaves, and emergence of all things pumpkin spice (pumpkin spice dog biscuits, anyone?) definitely have me thinking about fall baking. And what better way to kick things off than with these spiced pumpkin cream cheese cookies?
Featuring a creamy pumpkin cheesecake center wrapped in a spiced pumpkin cookie and rolled in crunchy Demerara sugar, these cookies perfectly capture all of the comfy, cozy feelings of fall, especially when paired with a cup of coffee, chai, or black tea on a chilly October afternoon.
Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookie Tips and Tricks
Be sure to use pure puréed pumpkin for this recipe, rather than pumpkin pie filling.
If you do not have access to pumpkin pie spice, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of ground mixed spice, or a generous pinch each of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
When rolling the dough balls, it is very important to make sure the cream cheese is completely hidden. If there are any gaps in the dough, the filling will leak out of the cookies as they bake.
For more pumpkin spice recipes, try my spiced pumpkin butter, spiced pumpkin seed brittle, or pumpkin spice and white chocolate biscotti, too! And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
- Total Time: 45 minutes (+ chilling time)
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
Description
Soft pumpkin spice cookies with a spiced pumpkin cream cheese surprise in the middle!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling:
85 grams cream cheese, softened (3 ounces)
40 grams pumpkin purée* (2 tablespoons)
20 grams confectioner’s sugar (2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice**
Cookie Dough:
250 grams all purpose flour (2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
175 grams unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
100 grams dark brown sugar (2/3 cup)
60 grams pumpkin purée (3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Demerara or granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling:
Line a small tray with baking parchment, wax paper, or a silicone baking mat, and set aside until ready to use.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and pumpkin purée until smooth and creamy.
Add confectioner’s sugar and pumpkin pie spice and whisk until well combined.
Use a teaspoon to spoon the pumpkin cream cheese filling onto prepared tray. You should have a total of twelve (12) equally-sized dollops of cream cheese.
Transfer tray to the freezer until ready to use.
Cookie Dough:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin purée and vanilla bean paste and mix on low speed until well combined.
Add dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
Wrap dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour, or overnight.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C. Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat, and set aside until ready to use.
Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Use your hands or a small cookie scoop to divide it into twenty four (24) equally-sized balls.
Portion out twelve (12) of the dough balls, and use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each.
Remove cream cheese dollops from the freezer. Place one dollop into each thumbprint indentation. Top with the remaining balls of dough.
Use your hands to roll the top and bottom dough pieces together, ensuring that the cream cheeese filling is completely covered by the dough.*** When finished, you should have a total of twelve (12) cream cheese-filled balls of dough.
Roll each ball in Demerara sugar.
Transfer balls to prepared baking tray, allowing space for the cookies to spread.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are puffy and lightly golden brown in color.
Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Spiced pumpkin cream cheese cookies are best enjoyed on the day they are made.
Notes
*Pure puréed pumpkin (canned or fresh), not pumpkin pie filling.
**If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice, or a generous pinch each of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
***It is important to make sure the cream cheese is completely hidden, otherwise it will leak out of the cookies as they bake.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
