Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies – Soft, Chewy and Stuffed with Cream Cheese

These pumpkin cheesecake cookies are the fall cookie recipe that people make once and then talk about for the rest of the season.

Chewy, warmly spiced pumpkin cookie dough on the outside. A creamy, sweetened cheesecake filling hidden inside. Rolled all over in pumpkin spice sugar that caramelises slightly as they bake. Every single bite has something going on and it is all really, really good.

There is one technique that makes these cookies different from every other pumpkin cookie you have ever made — and that is drying the pumpkin puree before it goes into the dough. It sounds strange, but it is the whole reason these cookies bake up soft and chewy instead of fluffy and cakey. Wet pumpkin means wet dough means puffy, bready cookies. Dried pumpkin means the dough stays rich and the cookies bake exactly the way you want them.

These do take a little more time than a regular drop cookie. But they are absolutely worth every single step.

Love all things pumpkin? Do not miss my full collection of the best pumpkin dessert recipes — cheesecakes, bars, rolls, breads, and more all in one place.

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Soft and chewy pumpkin cookies — not fluffy, not cakey, just perfect
• A creamy sweetened cheesecake filling hidden in the center of every single cookie
• Rolled in pumpkin spice sugar for a lightly caramelised spiced crust on the outside
• The dried pumpkin technique is the secret that makes these different from every other pumpkin cookie
• Makes 16 generous cookies — enough to share, barely
• Every person who tries one immediately asks for the recipe

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Ingredients

For the cheesecake filling:

• 6 oz (170g) full-fat block cream cheese, cold
• 3 tbsp (38g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the pumpkin spice sugar:

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the pumpkin cookie dough:

• 1/2 cup (122g) canned pumpkin puree (Libby is strongly recommended)
• 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (220g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Pumpkin puree — Libby is the brand to use for this recipe. It is consistently less watery than other brands, which matters a lot here. Other brands tend to be much more liquid and the drying process takes significantly longer. Do not use fresh pumpkin puree — it has too much moisture and the cookies will not bake properly even after drying.

Drying the pumpkin — This is not optional and it is the most important step in the whole recipe. You need to remove roughly half the moisture from the pumpkin before it goes into the dough. See the instructions for exactly how to do this. You start with 1/2 cup and you need to reduce it down to just under 1/4 cup by weight.

Cream cheese — cold — Unlike every other recipe in this cluster, you want the cream cheese cold here, not softened. Cold cream cheese is easier to scoop into balls and holds its shape better when frozen.

Brown sugar only — The whole dough uses only brown sugar, no white. This is intentional — it keeps the cookies chewier and adds a deeper, more caramel-like warmth to the pumpkin spice flavour.

Egg yolks only — No whole eggs here, just yolks. Yolks add richness and fat without the extra water that egg whites bring, which keeps the cookies chewy rather than cakey.

Butter — Must be softened at room temperature. Cold butter will not cream properly and you will not get the right cookie texture.

Pumpkin pie spice — Used in both the dough and the rolling sugar. Store-bought blend is perfectly fine. Or make your own with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make and Freeze the Cheesecake Filling

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the cold cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla to a small bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes until fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.

Scoop the cheesecake filling into 16 small portions — about 2 teaspoons each — onto the lined baking sheet. Use a small cookie scoop or two spoons. The portions will look small and that is right.

Place the tray in the freezer and leave until the filling balls are completely frozen and very firm. At least 30 to 45 minutes — do not rush this step. If they are not fully frozen they will melt out of the cookies during baking.

Step 2: Dry the Pumpkin

This is the step that makes these cookies work.

Spread the pumpkin puree onto a large flat plate in a thin, even layer. Lay two or three paper towels flat on top of the pumpkin and press down gently to absorb the liquid. Lift, discard the wet paper towels, and repeat with fresh dry ones. You need to do this at least five times — more if your pumpkin is particularly wet.

Keep going until almost no liquid transfers to a fresh paper towel when you press. The pumpkin should reduce from 1/2 cup down to just under 1/4 cup. It will look darker and denser than when you started. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the Pumpkin Spice Sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice until evenly combined. Set aside.

Step 4: Make the Cookie Dough

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together with a hand mixer on high speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 1 minute until the mixture is pale and fluffy — not just combined, actually pale and fluffy. This step matters for texture.

Add the dried pumpkin and beat on medium speed until incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.

Step 5: Chill the Cookie Dough

This step is not in the original recipe but it is strongly recommended based on overwhelming reader feedback — the dough is very sticky at room temperature and is almost impossible to shape around the frozen filling without chilling first.

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days. Cold dough is much easier to handle and gives you better-shaped cookies.

Step 6: Assemble the Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the chilled dough into 16 equal portions using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop. Roll each portion into a ball and slightly flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand.

Take the cheesecake balls out of the freezer a few at a time — not all at once, they warm up fast. Place one frozen cheesecake ball in the center of each disc of dough. Fold the dough up and around the filling, pinching and rolling until the cheesecake is completely enclosed. Make sure there are no gaps — if cheesecake peeks through, it will leak out during baking.

Roll each assembled cookie ball in the pumpkin spice sugar until fully coated.

Step 7: Bake

Place 6 cookies at a time on a prepared baking sheet, spaced well apart. Do not crowd them.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 13 minutes. The cookies will look slightly underdone in the center when they come out — that is right. They firm up as they cool.

Optional but recommended: as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to scoot around each cookie in a circular motion to push any irregular edges back into a perfect round shape. Do this while they are still warm.

Step 8: Cool

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes — do not move them. The cheesecake filling needs time to firm back up inside.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before eating. The filling will be runny if you eat them warm — trust the cooling time.

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Tips for the Best Results

• Use Libby canned pumpkin — other brands are too wet and the drying takes much longer
• Do not skip the pumpkin drying step — this is the only reason these cookies stay chewy and not cakey
• The pumpkin must reduce from 1/2 cup to just under 1/4 cup — if it has not reduced that much, keep going with more paper towels
• Freeze the cheesecake balls completely before using — partially frozen filling will leak out during baking
• Take cheesecake balls out of the freezer only a few at a time as you need them — they warm up and soften quickly
• Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before shaping — the dough is sticky and chilling makes it so much easier to handle
• Seal every cookie completely — no gaps or the cheesecake leaks out
• Bake only 6 cookies at a time for the best results
• Do not eat warm — let them cool completely so the filling sets
• Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container — these have a cream cheese filling and need to be kept cold

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Variations

• White chocolate chips — fold 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips into the dough before chilling for pockets of sweetness throughout
• Maple cream cheese filling — add 1/2 tsp of pure maple syrup to the cream cheese filling in place of vanilla for a warm, autumnal twist
• Cinnamon sugar coating — use plain cinnamon sugar instead of pumpkin spice sugar for a simpler, more classic finish
• Larger cookies — use a 3-tablespoon scoop to make bigger, bakery-style cookies. Add 2 to 3 extra minutes of bake time and check for doneness
• Extra spice — add a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cloves to the pumpkin spice sugar coating for an even deeper spice flavour on the outside

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What to Serve With Them

• Completely on their own — they do not need anything
• With a cold glass of milk
• Alongside a hot mug of coffee or spiced apple cider
• On a fall cookie platter with pumpkin snickerdoodles and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
• As a gift box — they transport beautifully and hold up well for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge

These pumpkin cheesecake cookies are a little extra work compared to a regular drop cookie. But they are also in a completely different league from a regular drop cookie.

The chewy spiced outside, the creamy cheesecake inside, the caramelised pumpkin spice sugar all the way around — every single element is doing something. And when someone bites into one and hits that cream cheese filling for the first time, the reaction is always the same.

Make these once this fall. Then watch how quickly you end up making them again.

For more pumpkin dessert recipes you will love:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
• No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
• Pumpkin Pie Bars