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Get ready for fall with these soft and chewy pumpkin cheesecake cookies! These pumpkin cookies are stuffed with a cream cheese filling and loaded with gooey chocolate chips. Plus, they’re naturally eggless and can easily be made vegan.
These pumpkin cream cheese cookies are based off of my vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It’s the same soft pumpkin spice cookies, but stuffed with a heavenly cheesecake filling!
Pumpkin cookies tend to usually be puffy and cakey, but not these! I’ve got some tips and tricks to make sure your cookies stay soft, chewy and delicious.
If you want even more cheesecake stuffed cookies, be sure to check out my strawberry cheesecake cookies and raspberry cheesecake cookies.
Why You'll Love These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Instead of eggs, the pumpkin puree acts as a binder in the pumpkin cheesecake cookies. So these egg free cookies stay soft and chewy instead of getting puffy and cakey.
- Looking to make these cookies vegan? Just use vegan butter, vegan chocolate chips, vegan graham crackers and vegan cream cheese!
- These pumpkin cream cream cheese cookies can be frozen, which means you always have them on hand for a pumpkin spice craving!
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese: You can use either regular cream cheese or vegan cream cheese in this recipe. I don’t recommend using Daiya brand cream cheese as it tends to melt into the dough. If you’re looking for a dairy free or vegan option, then I suggest using Violife or another vegan cream cheese which has a coconut base. Just note, if you’re using a regular cream cheese (not vegan) you’ll need to adjust the amount of confectioners’ sugar used, but I’ve noted that down in the recipe card!
- Butter: you can use regular butter or dairy free/vegan butter.
- Pumpkin: make sure you are using canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Graham Crackers: these are optional. you can use regular graham crackers or vegan graham crackers, or you can feel free to leave them out entirely!
- Chocolate Chips: feel free to use a mix of white and semisweet chocolate chips, or just semisweet chocolate chips - you can also chop up a chocolate bar instead! If you’re making these vegan, then make sure to use vegan chocolate chips.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand? Check out the notes on the recipe card, I’ve got a quick recipe for how to make your own!
- Flour: I’ve tested this recipe with all purpose flour. If you need these pumpkin cheesecake cookies to be gluten free, then use all purpose 1-1 gluten free baking flour, like Bob’s Red Mill.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. In a small bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the softened cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
Step 2: Place 16 heaping teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the baking sheet. Flatten each cream cheese ball slightly and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until it is almost solid.
Once the cream cheese filling is frozen, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 3: Pour melted butter into a large mixing bowl, then whisk in the light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, whisking until it is completely smooth.
Step 4: Pour in the flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until it is combined. This cookie dough is slightly wetter than traditional cookie dough, but this is totally normal - don’t add any extra flour!
Stir in the chocolate chips and graham cracker pieces.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 375°Fahrenheit. Use a large cookie scoop, or just scoop out 2 ½ - 3 tablespoons of dough, and place on the baking sheet. Make sure to leave lots of room between each cookie dough ball.
Step 6: Take out the frozen cheesecake balls and press one into the centre of each cookie. Cover the cream cheese with the cookie dough, wrapping it around gently and making sure it is completely covered. Add extra chocolate chips or graham crackers pieces on top!
Step 7: Once you’ve finished one baking sheet of 8 cookies, place the baking sheet in the fridge while you work on the next batch.
Step 8: Once the oven is preheated, bake the cookies one baking sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes. The cookies should have slightly brown edges and the top should be set. If you keep them in the oven for too long, they’ll become too brown, crispy, and the cream cheese filling will melt into the dough.
Step 9: Let the pumpkin cheesecake cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes - they’ll continue baking. Enjoy!
FAQs and Expert Tips
Why is my cream cheese filling runny?
Make sure that you have kept your cream cheese filling in the freezer for long enough! When you’re stuffing the cookie dough balls, you want to work quickly so the cream cheese doesn’t begin to soften too much. Make sure that the cookies that aren’t in the oven yet are kept in the fridge.
Yes! Be sure to use vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, vegan chocolate chips and vegan graham crackers. These cookies don’t use any eggs as the pumpkin acts as the binder! If you are using regular (not vegan) cream cheese, please make sure to read the notes in the recipe card as you’ll need a different amount of confectioners’ sugar.
Yes, you can follow my vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe if you want these to be regular cookies without a cheesecake filling.
No. Not using eggs is what keeps these cookies from being cakey and fluffy - it gives them a soft and chewy texture like a chocolate chip cookie.
Expert Tips
- Properly measure your flour - I highly recommend using a $15 kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients (metric measurements are in the recipe card below). If you aren't using a scale, use the scoop and level method.
- Let the cheesecake filling freeze completely before assembling the cookies - Leave them in the freezer right up until you are ready to use them.
- Keep a cloth nearby - this dough is a bit wetter and stickier, so when you’re pulling the dough over the cheesecake filling your hands might get sticky! Keep a cloth on hand to wipe them after each cookie.
- Be sure not to make the dough too thin on the bottom - There should be enough cookie dough on the bottom of each cookie so that the filling doesn’t seep out of the cookie when baking.
- Keep an eye on them in the oven - don’t let the pumpkin cheesecake cookies stay in the oven for too long, otherwise they’ll get too brown, crispy, and the filling will melt into the dough and disappear!
- Let the cookies finish baking on the baking sheet - these cookies will continue to set and bake slightly after they’re out of the oven, so let them rest on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Pumpkin cheesecake cookies taste best on the day of baking them. The cream cheese filling means the cookies will start to soften after a day. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or on the counter for about one day if it’s not too hot in your kitchen.
You can also freeze the baked cookies! Store them in an airtight ziploc bag and just thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them.
More Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
- handheld mixer or Standing Mixer
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- ¾ cup cream cheese, softened (regular or vegan) SEE NOTES
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner's sugar) SEE NOTES if using regular (not vegan) cream cheese
Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- ¾ cup butter, melted (regular or vegan)
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips, or chopped white chocolate (regular or vegan)
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (regular or vegan)
- 6 graham crackers, chopped into small pieces plus more for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Place 16 heaping teaspoons of cream cheese on the baking sheet or plate. Slightly flatten each ball of cream cheese. Freeze for at least one hour, or until frozen almost completely solid.
- When the cream cheese is frozen almost solid, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add melted butter to a large mixing bowl, then whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Add in the flour, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice and stir until just incorporated. The dough will be a bit wetter than a typical cookie dough - do not add more flour!
- Gently stir the chocolate chips and and graham crackers into the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Use a large cookie scoop (about 2½-3 tablespoons of dough) and scoop balls of cookie dough onto each baking sheet, allowing lots of room between each ball of dough.
- Remove the cream cheese balls from the freezer and gently press one into the centre of each cookie. Cover the cream cheese ball with the dough, wrapping it around the cream cheese to cover it completely (photos are in post above for reference). Sprinkle more chocolate chips and/or graham cracker pieces on top if desired.
- Once you've finished assembling one baking sheet of cookies, place them in the fridge while the oven finishes preheating, then repeat the steps with the second batch of cookies.
- Once the oven has preheated, bake the cookies one baking sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly brown on the edges and the top looks set. 11 minutes was perfect in my oven. If you leave the cookies in the oven for too long, they will become very brown, and the cream cheese will melt into the cookie dough! If you're unsure, you can bake one test cookie to start.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes (they will continue baking a little bit during this time). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Sandra
My daughter sent me these and requested them (todays her birthdya) so I made them immediately and WOW. They are to die for. Addicting and wil definitely be making them again and again. Thank you gabby!
Gabby
Hi Sandra! I'm so happy the cookies were a hit! Thanks so much for the review 🙂