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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.
ok.. these are DELISH…. BUT a mess and a ton of work to make.
dont get me wrong… I love a challenge and baking for my friends and family…. however I will leave this to the experts and buy them 🙂
Just came across this recipe. They looked delicious cant wait to make them.
My question after cookies are baked do the have to be refrigerated because of cream cheese.
Asking for when i make for holidsys and will make several batches.
Thank you in advance
Yes! I would store them in the fridge in an airtight container. They will last a few days!
I’m not a pumpkin fan, but love cheesecake…. I wonder if I could use applesauce instead of pumpkin 🤔?
I’m not sure how those would turn out. You could try this recipe instead! https://therecipecritic.com/cream-cheese-snickerdoodles/
Can this be made gluten free?? My granddaughter was recently diagnosed with Celiacs & loves anything pumpkin!
I haven’t tried it before, but you could substitute the flour for almond flour or another gluten-free option! Let me know how they turn out!
I haven’t made these. I may be a weirdo but I don’t like pumpkin. Can it be substituted for something else?
I haven’t tried substituting the pumpkin before. You could try this recipe instead! https://therecipecritic.com/cream-cheese-snickerdoodles/
I get so many compliments on these cookies. Even have given out the recipe a few times. Only negative is how long they take to make. My family has asked me to make these for holidays from now on.
Hi! I am making these for my husband for work at Textron Aviation, and his job kinda made me a baker for the company lol, It says for filling , sugar, ,,, is that white sugar or powdered sugar? I cannot wait to make them, i hope they turn out. I plan on making a double batch, and announced that i was making next week to my step daughter, and she said , ” Ohhhh wow! I think we will be wanting them for Christmas and Thanksgiving” lol
That is awesome! The sugar is white sugar. You are correct!
These are the most labor intensive cookies! The dough was sticky and I had to keep flouring my hands. Good cookies but not sure they are worth the effort.
Did you chill before handling? It’s instructed to do so because it makes a sticky dough more manageable.
I made this but found they’re not spicy enuf so, if I make again, I’d add more cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to the dough as well as the sugar coating. Just saying. Otherwise, they’re too bland.
Great recipe but inaccurate prep time. The time estimate should include the inactive chill time.
I gathered enough dough to equal 2 tablespoons, rolled into a ball used the handle of an ice tea spoon very thin and made a nice well into the middle of the dough ball and put the cream cheese into the well and rolled into a nice ball keeping cream cheese in middle of ball covered with dough then rolled it in the sugar mixture and placed it on the cookie sheet and then flattened it with a small slotted spatula worked wonderfully
These were amazing! Loved the flavor, definitely making these again!
I’ve made this recipe every year for the past 7 years, and I always get people asking for the recipe!! Not too sweet, which I love.
My biggest tip for future bakers is to keep an eye on them while they bake. It’s very easy to underbake and overbake them. I personally think the “until tops start to crack” method makes them a little overdone. I just go off of time (15 for my oven), then pull them out and see it they’re TOO underdone or just soft– using the color as a gauge (it looks clearly dough-y and dark if it’s not done yet).
LOVE this recipe!
Great recipe and perfect for fall holidays. I adjust the dough to filling ratio because I like a bit more dough. Easier to make than you think and a crowd pleaser
Made these today! SO. SO. GOOD. Everything about it was perfect. My only modification was I added pumpkin spice to the outer coating. They did take forever to make with rolling Into balls and flattening but I’d say it was worth the time!
My daughter made these cookies last night. Oh my word, they are delicious. They are better than the coffee shop’s cookies for sure!! I heated one up for 10 seconds in the microwave and had it with my coffee this morning. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!