Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Recipe View Prepare Your Station: Gather all ingredients. Line a tray and a baking sheet with parchment paper. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Create the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar (1/2 cup), and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fully combined. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Portion and Freeze the Filling: Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, create 18 mounds of the cream cheese mixture on the prepared tray. Freeze until solid, approximately 1 hour. (1 hour 5 minutes)

Recipe View Preheat and Prepare Pumpkin: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the canned pumpkin evenly on a plate in about a 4-inch square. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Reduce Pumpkin Moisture: Press the pumpkin with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Repeat this blotting process with fresh paper towels until very little moisture remains, about 6 times. Set aside the prepared pumpkin. (10 minutes)

Recipe View Combine Dry Cookie Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds until creamy.

Recipe View Incorporate Sugars: Add the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of white sugar to the butter. Beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Blend in Pumpkin and Vanilla: Add the prepared pumpkin and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until everything is thoroughly combined. (3 minutes)

Recipe View Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually stir in the flour mixture using a wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Prepare Spice Sugar Coating: In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of white sugar with the remaining 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. (2 minutes)

Recipe View Portion the Cookie Dough: Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop or a rounded measuring tablespoon to portion the cookie dough into 18 equal pieces. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Assemble the Cookies: Flatten a portion of the dough into a 2 ½- to 3-inch circle in the palm of your hand. (2 minutes)

Recipe View Fill and Shape: Place a frozen ball of the cream cheese filling in the center of the dough circle. Gently press the dough around the filling, completely encasing it, then roll with your hands to form a smooth ball. (3 minutes)

Recipe View Coat and Arrange: Roll each ball in the sugar and pumpkin pie spice mixture, then place it on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Bake: Bake the first batch in the preheated oven until the cookies are set, approximately 12 minutes. Chill the shaped cookies while the first batch is baking to help them maintain their shape. (12 minutes)

Recipe View Cool Slightly: Let the baked cookies cool briefly on the baking sheet. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Cool completely: Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Bake and cool the remaining cookies as directed. (10 minutes)