Description
Homemade pumpkin cheesecake cookies merge classic fall flavors with creamy cheesecake goodness. Warm spices and rich textures invite bakers to savor autumn’s delightful sweet sensation.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.75 cups (415 ml) all-purpose flour
- 0.75 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (240 g) light brown sugar
- 0.5 cup (120 g) canned pumpkin puree (Libby’s)
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 2 tsps vanilla
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 3 tbsps granulated white sugar (for filling)
- 0.25 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar (for spiced sugar)
- 0.5 tsp vanilla (for filling)
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (for spiced sugar)
Instructions
- Prep Station: Line baking sheets with parchment paper for seamless cookie removal and optimal non-stick surface.
- Cream Cheese Mixture: Whip cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla using an electric mixer until ethereally light and fluffy, creating a silky base.
- Freeze Filling: Transform cream cheese mixture into 16 uniform spheres, then freeze until solidly firm, establishing the cookie’s core.
- Spice Coating: Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a shallow dish, reserving for final cookie embellishment.
- Oven Calibration: Warm oven to 350°F, positioning additional parchment-lined trays for efficient baking.
- Dry Ingredients: Sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, ensuring uniform ingredient distribution.
- Butter Blend: Cream butter and sugar until pale and voluminous, integrating egg yolks and vanilla for rich, complex flavor profile.
- Pumpkin Integration: Gently fold pumpkin puree into dry ingredient mixture, maintaining delicate dough consistency.
- Assembly: Extract frozen cream cheese spheres, meticulously enrobe each with cookie dough, then roll in spiced sugar coating for aromatic enhancement.
- Baking Finale: Position cookies on prepared sheets with strategic spacing, baking 12-13 minutes until edges transform to golden perfection.
Notes
- Freeze Cream Cheese Strategically: Completely solidify cream cheese balls before wrapping with cookie dough to prevent messy blending and ensure clean, defined cookie edges.
- Control Pumpkin Moisture: Gently remove excess liquid from pumpkin puree using paper towels to prevent soggy, dense cookie texture and maintain ideal consistency.
- Handle Dough Delicately: Mix dry ingredients minimally and fold pumpkin carefully to avoid tough, dense cookies; gentle techniques preserve soft, tender crumb.
- Sugar Coating Technique: Roll cookies in spiced sugar mixture just before baking to create a delightful crispy exterior and enhance overall flavor complexity.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 17
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg