Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Freeze the cheesecake centers
- Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth, then scoop into 24 teaspoon-sized balls on parchment and freeze for 30 minutes until firm and scoopable.
Mix the pumpkin cookie dough
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment so the dough bakes evenly and doesn’t stick.
- Beat butter and brown sugar until creamy, then add the blotted pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt, then fold into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain.
Assemble and bake
- Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of cookie dough, flatten in your palm, place a frozen cream cheese ball in the center, then wrap dough around it and seal the edges.
- Roll each stuffed cookie in cinnamon sugar so the surface is evenly coated.
- Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes until the cookies are golden around the edges and set in the center.
Cool before eating
- Cool the cookies completely, about until the filling firms as it cools, so the center stays cheesecake-like rather than soft or runny.
Notes
Pro tip: blot the pumpkin puree well so the cookie dough isn’t watery, which helps the cream cheese centers stay intact. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days; freezer yes—freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature. For a lower-sugar option, use a reduced-sugar pumpkin pie spice and swap the powdered sugar in the filling for a 1:1 powdered sugar substitute (check package directions).