Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies Recipe: Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling

These cookies solve the problem I kept running into every fall: I wanted the richness of pumpkin spice desserts but couldn’t stand how often the texture turned heavy or the flavors dulled out by day two. These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies hold their own. They balance warm spice with a chilled, tangy center that makes each bite feel neat and deliberate, structured, not soggy.

What You’ll Learn and Why It Works

This recipe walks you through baking pumpkin cookies that stay soft without falling apart. The filling is a smooth cheesecake swirl, chilled separately and added after baking. That single change baking and filling in separate steps keeps the cookies structured, flavorful, and clean to serve.

You’ll also get my notes on how ingredient temperature and dough chilling affect the outcome. I’ll show you how to avoid flat cookies, and you’ll understand how the cream cheese filling changes in flavor after chilling. You can expect clarity and control here.

Making the Pumpkin Cookie Dough

Start with room temperature butter. Creaming cold butter will waste time, and melted butter will throw off the texture. Blend with brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mix looks pale and fluffy. That air is what gives the cookie structure. Once it reaches that stage, you can add pumpkin purée not pie filling followed by an egg and vanilla.

In a second bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. This is where the cookie earns its backbone. Fold the dry into the wet gradually. The dough will look soft but dense. Chill it. That chill time isn’t optional. It sets the butter and allows the flour to hydrate, which stops the cookies from spreading too wide.

This method shares some overlap with the approach in these Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake, but the structure here holds firmer thanks to the smaller portion sizes.

Preparing the Cheesecake Filling

The filling uses softened cream cheese, sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a spoonful of flour. I’ve skipped the egg you’d find in baked cheesecakes because this mixture doesn’t go into the oven. Beat until completely smooth, then spoon into a piping bag or a corner-snipped zip bag. This goes into the fridge while you bake the cookies. The chill firms it just enough to hold a swirl.

I tested versions where the filling was baked in the cookie. The result? Leaked, puffed-up tops and a rubbery center. This chilled method solves that. If you like the flavor of these Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake, imagine that, but in a soft cookie shell.

Baking and Shaping the Cookies

After the dough has chilled, portion into balls and flatten slightly. Use the back of a spoon to make a shallow dip in the center. That dip will become the nest for the cheesecake later. Bake until the edges are set. The cookies will continue to cook from residual heat, so avoid overbaking.

Once they cool, that center dip may puff slightly. Use the same spoon to press it gently again. That helps you get a clean fill later. Let them cool fully on a rack. You don’t want to pipe cheesecake onto anything even mildly warm.

For another no-fuss, chilled pumpkin idea, you might also like these No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites which skip the oven altogether.

Filling the Cookies After Baking

Once cool, pipe the chilled cheesecake filling into each center. I prefer a small star tip, but a plain bag works too. Keep your hand steady and let the filling settle in naturally. You can smooth the tops or leave the swirl visible. Chill again briefly to let the filling firm before serving.

These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies remind me a bit of Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake—they both share that cool tang after the warm baking base has done its job. But here, the texture contrast makes the dessert feel lighter.

Butter vs Oil: A Comparison That Affects Texture

I’ve tested this cookie dough with both butter and oil. Butter gives a better structure and flavor. Oil made them softer, but too soft to hold the cheesecake center well. If you’re tempted to swap, know that butter is essential here. You need the structure more than the added moisture.

I wrote this note down in my recipe binder after a batch of oil-based cookies collapsed under the filling.

Serving and Storing for Best Texture

Serve these straight from the fridge, or let them sit 10 minutes for a softer bite. I find the filling tastes brighter once it warms slightly, but never skip the chill step. It holds the structure. These store well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days.

For pumpkin desserts that pair warmth with creaminess, these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies offer a clean bite, with no soggy centers or overpowering spice. If you’re trying to find the best version of pumpkin cheesecake flavor in a more portable form, this is it.

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Save and Share

If these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies land on your fall baking list, save this recipe to your Pinterest board so you can find it again. And let me know in the comments how they turned out for you—or what you might try differently next time. I always read the feedback.