Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

A perfectly spiced pumpkin cookie topped with a thick layer of cheesecake frosting, these Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies will have you ready for fall and all the deliciousness it has to offer!

In years past, it was always the PSL - Pumpkin Spice Latte - that jokingly signaled the start of fall. Pumpkin spice is everywhere-- and I don't see that leaving anytime soon! Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin everything, it all screams Autumn.

Of course there's always the pumpkin spice haters. For some reason, it has become "cool" to dislike this quintessential fall flavor. But I have to ask why? What's not to like? It's sweet, cinnamon-y, and delicious.

With that in mind, I created this recipe. It's basically the perfect marriage of pumpkin spice and and classic vanilla cheesecake. So happy fall y'all! It's time to get to celebrating with these super soft, super fluffy, pumpkin spice cheesecake cookies.

The cookies themselves are nice and fluffy, a sort of a cross between a muffin top and a cookie. They have all the classic autumnal spices-- cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of vanilla.

The cream cheese frosting really seals the deal here! I whipped it for several minutes to make sure enough air was incorporated in. This makes for a more airy frosting-- it’s really something great. Make sure you are generous when icing the cookies, they are pumpkin "cheesecake" cookies after all!

While I have never had Crumbl myself, these remind me of the look of Crumbl cookies! Generously sized cookies with generous amounts of frosting. So we can call them Crumbl-inspired pumpkin cheesecake cookies!

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try these healthy protein pumpkin muffins! If you are looking for a recipe with fall spices that isn't pumpkin, try this brown butter granola with walnuts.

This recipe makes 2 dozen small cookies, or 1 dozen big ones, so keep that in mind when making them. Make sure after you frost these that you refrigerate them right up until you are ready to serve them, otherwise the frosting will get too soft.

Ingredients

​​Pumpkin Cookies

• eggs
• pumpkin puree (canned or pumpkin cooked and pureed)
• flour
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• unsalted butter
• white granulated sugar
• light brown sugar
• vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• butter
• cream cheese
• vanilla extract
• powdered sugar

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixing bowl, cream together softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.

Once creamed, add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Slowly add in dry ingredients a little at a time, until just incorporated.

Chill dough for 1 hour or overnight.
Use a large cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough onto sheet (cookies will about double in size).

Bake for 15-17 minutes.
Remove to a cooling rack.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat until combined.
Add in powdered sugar, a little at a time. Once sugar is added and mostly combined, increase the speed and beat for about 2 minutes until it becomes fluffy.

Once cookies are completely cool, frost cookies and sprinkle with cinnamon powder. Serve or refrigerate.

Recipe Tips

• It's really important to wait until the cookies are totally room temperature before you frost them. If not, the cookies could melt the cream cheese mixture and you will be left with a sad mess. If you need to speed up the process, try popping the finished cookies in the fridge for a few minutes before frosting them.
• You can certainly use a butter knife or pastry spreader to frost these, but I find it easiest and most attractive to use a pastry bag and pip on the cheesecake topping. If you don't have a pastry bag, a gallon sized bag with the tip cut off works great.

Substitutions and Variations

• You can substitute the cinnamon and nutmeg for 1 ¾ tsp. of pumpkin pie spice if you have that on hand.
• A lot of bakers may know this already, but I love sharing it anyway. At the start of fall (around September) Trader Joe's brings out their beloved Vanilla Bean Paste. All vanilla paste is, is a concentrated "paste" form of regular liquid vanilla. You can use it exactly the way you would regular vanilla, at a 1:1 ratio. It adds a special "oomph" of vanilla-y goodness to the desserts it is used in. The great part about Trader Joe's Vanilla Bean Paste is that it is only 4.99, which is a steal compared to most prices you will see. I always stock up on 2-3 jars when it comes out every year.

Storage

Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (they will still be good a few days after, but may stiffen up a bit). These pumpkin cookies need to be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese in the frosting.