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Pumpkin cheesecake snickerdoodles are a fresh take on a classic cookie! Delightfully soft and filled with tangy cream cheese, these cookies will be sure to get a “WOW!” from your friends and family!
I love any recipe that I can add pumpkin to and these cookies are no exception! If you love pumpkin as much as I do, go ahead and try some of these Muffins, this Bread Pudding, and the most Perfect Pumpkin Bread! You will go crazy for them all!
Reasons These Cookies are the BEST
- A twist on a classic: A pumpkin cheesecake snickerdoodle is a twist on your classic snickerdoodle and takes it to the next level. Filled with all of the same sweet cinnamon flavors, with the addition of a yummy cream cheese mixture in the middle, these cookies are something that you will love!
- Soft: I love a good soft cookie and these snickerdoodles are the best!
- They freeze well: Double the batch and freeze them for up to 3 months!
Soft Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
This recipe is perfect for an after-school snack, a game day treat, or just bringing a treat to your neighbors. Whatever you do, I suggest making more than one batch. They are so good, and they will be eaten up in no time!
Ingredients You Need to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
This delicious ooey-gooey recipe is going to become a staple at your house. Because the base flavor is delicious cinnamon, once you add in some pumpkin and cream cheese, you are making the perfect fall treat! See the recipe card below for a list of exact ingredients.
- All-purpose flour: This combines your ingredients and helps thicken the dough.
- Baking powder: This helps the cookies to rise.
- Salt: This enhances the flavors of all of the ingredients.
- Cinnamon: You can’t have snickerdoodles without a delicious cinnamon taste.
- Nutmeg: Brings that delicious earthy flavor that we all know and love!
- Butter: It’s best to use unsalted butter that is at room temperature for these cookies.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cookie dough.
- Brown sugar: This is the best type of sweetener, and the flavor can’t be beat.
- Pumpkin puree: Don’t confuse this with pumpkin pie filling!
- Egg: Use an egg that is at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract: This adds some flavor to the sweetness.
Filling Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Make sure to set your block out so that it is softened before you use it!
- Sugar: Sweetens up the tangy cream cheese.
- Vanilla extract: Adds some flavor to the sugar’s sweetness.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to the spices!
- Cinnamon: Use ground cinnamon and mix it well with the other spices.
- Ginger: Ground ginger will work the best and add in an earthy flavor.
- Allspice: This is the best spice to bring out that fall taste!
Baking Tips
Since these are a bit different than your traditional snickerdoodles, I have come up with a few baking tips to help these turn out just perfectly for you! They are seriously SO good! I can’t wait for you to try them!
- Pumpkin puree: Sometimes, people think that pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree are the same thing… they are not! Pumpkin pie filling is mixed with spices and flavors, and you don’t want that for these cookies since you are adding those on your own. A can of pumpkin puree will be orange inside, and all that is listed on the ingredients will be “pumpkin puree.” So make sure that you are getting the right one!
- Chill: Before you ball up the dough and put it in the oven, it’s best (at least in this recipe) to chill your dough and cream cheese filling. This will help your cookies stay fluffy and not spread in the oven!
- Fresh ingredients: For the best results in your baking, make sure that all of your ingredients are fresh! This means that you should be replacing the baking ingredients in your pantry every 3-6 months. They start to lose their flavor and potency after that!
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
These homemade pumpkin cheesecake snickerdoodles are easy to make! In fact, bake up a few batches at once so that you have some for later! It will be so simple, and once you see how fast they get eaten, you’ll be glad that you did!
Prep
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
- Beat butter, eggs, and sugar: In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Blend and mix together: Blend in pumpkin puree, beat in egg, and then add vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients on low speed just until combined. Cover and chill the dough for an hour.
- Make the filling: To make the cream cheese filling, blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together. Chill for an hour.
- Prep and baking sheets: Preheat oven to 350 and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices for the coating and set aside.
Bake
- Make cookies: To make the cookies, take a tablespoon of the cookie batter. Flatten it like a pancake and place a teaspoon of the cream cheese in the center.
- Add cream cheese mixture: Form another tablespoon of the cookie batter into a flat pancake shape and place on top of the cream cheese. Pinch the edges together, sealing in the cream cheese, and roll into a ball. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating and place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Flatten dough: Repeat until the dough is gone, and flatten the cookie dough balls with a heavy-bottomed glass or measuring cup.
- Bake and cool: Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy! These pumpkin cheesecake snickerdoodles are the best!
Storing Leftovers
If you have some pumpkin cheesecake snickerdoodles that didn’t get eaten all at once, here is how you can store them for later! That way, you can eat them all week long!
- Refrigerator: Because these cookies have cream cheese in them, don’t store them on your counter. Place your cooled cookies into an airtight container and leave them in your fridge for up to a week!
- Freezer: Store your cookies in a sealed, airtight container or freezer ziplock bag. Label the bag with the date, and then you can store them for up to 3 months! Just thaw them in the fridge before you want to eat them.
More Delicious Pumpkin Desserts to Try
If you loved these pumpkin cheesecake snickerdoodles, then it’s your lucky day! I have come up with a few more pumpkin desserts that I think that you will love as well! They are all amazing to add to your Autumn pumpkin recipes.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon-sugar coating:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- dash allspice
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Blend in pumpkin puree, beat in egg, and then add vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients on low speed just until combined. Cover and chill the dough for an hour.
- Blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together to make the cream cheese filling. Chill for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices for the coating and set aside.
- To make the cookies, take a tablespoon of the cookie dough. Flatten it like a pancake and place a teaspoon of the cream cheese in the center. Form another tablespoon of the cookie batter into a flat pancake shape and place it on top of the cream cheese. Pinch the edges together, sealing in the cream cheese, and roll into a ball. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating and place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Repeat until the dough is gone and flatten the cookie dough balls with a heavy bottomed glass or measuring cup.
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was looking forward to making these cookies and put a lot of effort into making them. However, the cookies turned out to be a bit bland and cakey, and unfortunately, the cream cheese filling seemed to have absorbed into the cookies.
Lots of effort for a bland cookie. Took way longer than prep time states! Cream cheese absorbed into the cookie and isn’t anywhere to be seen, so I made some extra to add as a frosting on time. They aren’t as chewy as normal snickerdoodles either :(. Won’t make again.
I’ve made these at least 5 times now and every time they work out super great!! Never had an issue with any part. Always have a gooey cheesecake center! 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Our cookies didn’t taste too much like pumpkin. Was really hoping for that pumpkin flavor. The cookies turned out kinda pale and no where near as brown as yours did. We did have to bake a little longer than 15 min. The cream cheese filling did disappear into the cookie. We started adding bigger heaps of cream cheese, but we were still left with about half of the cream cheese filling at the end. We wound up with about 25 cookies.
I’m not much of a baker but my boyfriend wanted these cookies so badly so I thought I’d surprise him today! I made the batter and cheesecake filling and put it in the fridge while I made dinner. The recipe was easy to follow, the only snag I experienced was the dough not being firm enough but I made it work and ended up rechilling before the next batch. Very delicious cookie! Super sweet and soft, will definitely be making them again!
Hey Taylor! Thanks for giving these pumpkin snickerdoodles a try. I’m so happy they turned out for you!
These cookies were just okay. Did not realize how long these were actually going to take to cook. I thought at first the reason they came out super doughey was something I had done as I had to mix by hand when I realized I did not have an electric hand mixer available. After reading the reviews after I had made them, I see that it was not just me who had issues. I had to cook for 20-25 minutes so they were not still dough. The cream cheese also absorbed into the cookies. I believe I needed to have kept them in the fridge as I worked or freezed them for a bit. They also tasted nothing like pumpkin and were really bland overall. They had a cake like texture. I did not realize there was a video but I feel as if the directions should line up with the video so you can utilize them alone if needed. I will be looking for another pumpkin cookie recipe to make for next time.
I live in an area with really high elevation (Wyoming) so things work differently for me. I added an extra 3/4 cup of flour and chilled the dough for 30 minutes and the filling for an hour. I cooked them for 13 minutes and it was perfect!
I’m so happy it turned out for you!!
The dough was too soft to pat & roll so I added just enough extra flour to make it workable. It was impossible for me to get the cream cheese inside just like in previous comments. The taste after they were finished was disappointing after so much effort. I won’t make them again.
Hello! I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out! Did you chill the dough?
How do you get the layer of cheesecake in the middle?
I am confused because the cookie dough says to use granulated sugar in the cream cheese filling just says “sugar”. When I have made cream cheese filling before, I have always used powdered sugar. Can you clarify? Thank you!
Granulated sugar works in this receipe, just make sure to mix it well.
How do you actually get the layer of cheesecake to stay I have tried it 2 different ways and neither way has there been a layer of cheesecake like the picture. The flavor is there but cheesecake is not thick.
Is this a type of cookie you can make ahead of time. Make them put them together and bake the next day and be fresh?
Thank you
Yes! That works great!
I looked forward to trying this recipe on a day when I had lots of time. Good decision! They do take a few hours.
Here’s how it went: if you only use a tablespoon of dough for each of the two outer layers, you will have more than 24 cookies. I used a fat serving spoon+ and still wound up with 30 cookies (cakes).
I agree with others that it’s not enough of the cream cheese filling and I smeared on more as I progressed.
The dough was sooo sticky that even chilled, once warmed up slightly it needed to be chilled again. I was putting the dough in the freezer about every 4 cookies and that worked. I don’t like flouring my hands because it affects the flavor.
I also learned to put the rolled up cookies in the fridge for a bit before pressing on the baking sheet. That way they didn’t stick to the presser.
The other issue was cooking time. 10-15 minutes was not nearly long enough. Mine, perhaps because they were bigger, took 20-25 minutes.
They do taste good, but what a long, messy process!
I have gone over this and maybe I missed something, but mine came out tasting like bland pancakes. Can’t really even taste the pumpkin and a ton of work! I agree with other commenters that the creme cheese (1 teaspoon) didn’t seem to be enough. Maybe too much baking soda as well? This is definitely a recipe fail over here.
Baking power, not baking soda?
Can you make this dough ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to bake?
Yes! It will last about 1-2 days. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container so that it doesn’t dry out.
Thank you! I just have to share that I made these for a cookie bake off at my office and I won first place! Thank you for the awesome recipe❤️
Really?! That’s so awesome!! Thanks for sharing!
I tried these for the first time but when I cut open the cookies you can’t see the cream cheese filling. Any suggestions
You have to use way more than just one teaspoon of cream cheese, and once I put the second pancake on top I didn’t roll it up I just flattened it a bit.
Can I use an electric hand mixer if I don’t have a kitchen aid?
Yes!