Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Cookie Recipe

Hey guys! Today I want to show you my new absolute favorite cookie recipe that is perfect for fall. Before going any further I must visit the problem of what I mean by pumpkin spice flavored; There is no pumpkin in these cookies, I am merely referring to a spice mix made popular by its common pairing with pumpkin. A pumpkin spice mix typically consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. These delectable cookies have a filling of pumpkin spice cream cheese and are rolled in sugar before baking to give them a slight crisp on the outside. They are very sweet, so if you like your treats on the milder side be warned. I came across this idea from In Bloom Bakery on Instagram, and then I adapted the recipe a bit for my purposes. I hope you guys love these as much as I do!

Ingredients:

For the cream cheese filling:
8oz (one block) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar (50 grams) (white or brown will do)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix

For the cookie layer:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup brown sugar, packed (210 grams)
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar (100 grams)
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour (360 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix

For the sugar coating:
1/3 cup white sugar (65 grams)
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix

Step 1. Make the filling
Leave your cream cheese on the counter for a few hours or overnight to soften. If you skip this step, you will be very angry with yourself during the next step. Use a fork to mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spice. Mix until they are combined well. Use a small spoon to scoop the filling into small balls, about a teaspoon size. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer.

As evidenced, I am not usually focused on uniform size or shape

Step 2. Make the dough
Melt the butter in the microwave or on low heat on a stovetop. Measure the white and brown sugar into a medium bowl, and once the butter is melted pour it over the sugar and mix them. Once you give up hope of the butter and sugar ever fully combining, add the eggs and watch the binders do their job. (I completely forgot to take pictures of this part but it is really cool the me the way the eggs make the melted butter and sugar emulsify into a uniform liquid) Next, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Mix this carefully so as not to have flour all over your kitchen. Try not to mix too much after everything comes together. Put the bowl in the fridge for about 5 or 10 minutes.

Step 3. Assembly
First, in a small bowl, stir together the white sugar and pumpkin spice.
Pull out the cookie dough and the frozen cream cheese balls. Put a small scoop of cookie dough in your palm, make a large indent in it, gently press a cream cheese ball onto it, and put another small scoop of dough on top. Roll this into a ball between your hands and then roll it around in the sugar mix, evenly coating it. If the cookie layer is too thin the cream cheese may leak from the bottom of your cookies during baking. Make as many of these as you can before you run out of ingredients, and put them on the baking sheet back in the freezer.

Step 4. Baking
With the cookie balls in the freezer, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit, or 175 Celcius. Place the cookies on a separate baking sheet, with plenty of room between them. It will take several batches, even if you use 2 pans in the oven at once, so don't crowd the cookies while baking. Bake them for 11-13 minutes, depending on your oven strength and cookie preferences. Even if they do not look all the way done after 13 minutes, I promise they are so please take them out of the oven. Let them rest undisturbed on the baking sheet until they fully deflate, and then use a metal spatula to move them to a cooling rack. Good luck keeping your family from eating them before they finish cooling.

They will last for up to a week in an airtight container with a paper towel to collect excess moisture. You can put them in the fridge, but I usually leave them on the counter and they're gone in just a few days.

If you want to see more of my work, you can visit my Instagram, @sid_the_raccoon. Most of the photos I use (unless otherwise specified) belong to me. Also, please leave a comment, I really appreciate them. I wish all of you peace, love, and world domination, and I hope you have a great next 24 hours.