Pumpkin cheesecake cookies are soft, slightly chewy and topped with a decadent pumpkin cheesecake frosting. They’re the perfect fall treat that any pumpkin fan will adore!
Sometimes I find pumpkin cookies to be cakey… that’s not really a complaint, but I do love a chewy cookie too… so I decided to combine the two! These pumpkin cookies are chewy in the center with slightly crisp edges and are loaded with spiced pumpkin flavor which acts as a perfect base for the pumpkin cheesecake frosting!
Ingredients you’ll need for easy pumpkin cheesecake cookies:
For the cookies:
- Butter: Melted
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown both work!
- Egg
- Pumpkin puree: make sure this is 100% pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling!
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin spice: aka pumpkin pie spice
- Ground cinnamon
For the cheesecake frosting:
- Cream cheese: softened to room temperature
- Pumpkin puree
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
These pumpkin cheesecake cookies may be made completely from scratch, but they’re super easy to throw together! No chilling, rolling, or cutting necessary! Make the frosting decoration as “homemade looking” as you want… they’ll be delicious no matter what!
How to make easy pumpkin cheesecake cookies:
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 2: Make the pumpkin cookie batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter with brown sugar, egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Once mixed, sprinkle in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and ground cinnamon. Fold together to form a thick batter.
- Step 3: Scoop and bake the cookies: Using a 2-inch triggered cookie scoop, scoop the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheets. Be sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie to leave room for spreading. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Step 4: Make the pumpkin cheesecake frosting: While the cookies cool, mix up the pumpkin cheesecake frosting by combining softened cream cheese, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
- Step 5: Frost the cookies: Transfer the cheesecake frosting to a Ziploc bag, cut off one corner, then pipe a mound of frosting on top of each cookie. Go back in with a butter knife or the back of a spoon and even out the frosting. Finish each cookie with a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin spice and enjoy!
Pumpkin cheesecake in cookie form is what fall dreams are made of!!! The cheesecake topping on these cookies is creamy, decadent and completely irresistible.
My top tips for the best pumpkin cheesecake cookies:
- Make sure you’re using 100% pumpkin puree and not “pumpkin pie filling” they look very similar but are not the same thing!
- Blot the pumpkin puree with paper towel. Removing the excess moisture from the pumpkin will result in a deliciously chewy cookie! If you don’t mind a fluffier cookie, then you can skip this step.
- Use a triggered cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough on baking sheets. I like using this method for almost all my cookies because it keeps your hands clean and makes the cookies perfectly rounded.
- Use softened cream cheese for the pumpkin cheesecake frosting. It’s much easier to mix which results in a smooth and creamy frosting!
- Let the cookies cool completely before frosting. Since the frosting has lots of cream cheese in it, it’ll melt off the cookie if the cookie is too warm.
FAQ:
To get chewier cookies, you can blot the pumpkin puree with a paper towel or lightly squeeze it through cheesecloth so remove some of the excess liquid. Totally optional though!
Pumpkin spice aka pumpkin pie spice is a blend of warm spices including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and sometimes cloves and goes perfectly with pumpkin recipes!
These cookies can be fragile while they’re still warm. I know it’s tempting to eat them straight out of the oven, but I highly recommend letting them cool fully on the cookie trays, then decorating with the pumpkin cheesecake topping before enjoying. This will ensure the cookies firm up enough to handle and won’t melt the cheesecake topping either!
Either way works! In my opinion, these cookies are best served at room temperature because the frosting is a little more creamy and less dense compared to when it’s chilled
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try these out!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
- cookie sheets
- ziploc bag
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cookies:
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree patted dry
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the cheesecake frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the pumpkin cookie batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter with brown sugar, egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Once mixed, sprinkle in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and ground cinnamon. Fold together to form a thick batter.
- Using a 2-inch triggered cookie scoop, scoop the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheets. Be sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie to leave room for spreading. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- While the cookies cool, mix up the pumpkin cheesecake frosting by combining softened cream cheese, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.
- Transfer the cheesecake frosting to a Ziploc bag, cut off one corner, then pipe a mound of frosting on top of each cookie. Go back in with a butterknife or the back of a spoon and even out the frosting. Finish each cookie with a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin spice and enjoy!
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