Fall Inspiration
One of the best fall combinations has to be pumpkin and cream cheese. To be honest, I don’t really know why they go together so well, but they may as well be the fall version of peanut butter and jelly. You can use this combination in a cake, a danish, ice cream, or cookie! Whatever form you make it into, it’s going to be good. Speaking of which, today’s recipe is a loaded one because these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies not only include the pumpkin-cream cheese combination, but also a combination of 2 crowd favorite treats.
These cookies were inspired by Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and Levain Bakery’s cookies. Starbucks has a seasonal pumpkin muffin that’s filled with cream cheese and topped with pumpkin seeds. Whenever Fall comes around, it’s the talk of the town. Then Levain Bakery is famous for their cookies because they were one of the first bakeries to introduce thicker, chunkier cookies. It’s almost like a cross between a cookie and a biscuit because it has a crust on the outside, but the inside is gooey yet fluffy. Drawing inspiration from flavors of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and the texture of Levain Bakery’s cookies, I baked up these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies. It’s a pumpkin based cookie dough mixed with chocolate chunks, filled with cream cheese, and topped with pumpkin seeds. It’s definitely a decadent and thick cookies, but it’s so worth it.
Keep it Thick
The first thing we want to get started on is the cream cheese filling. Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar into a bowl and mix until well combined. Place it in the fridge while you prepare the pumpkin cookie dough. This will allow the cream cheese filling to stiffen up, making it easier to fill the cookies later.
Then in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice and kosher salt until evenly combined. Moving over to the stand mixer, add the butter into the bowl and beat with the paddle attachment on medium to medium high speed until creamy and whipped. Using cold butter will prevent the cookies from spreading, allowing them to maintain their shape and thickness. Mix in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat the ingredients together until combined. Mix in the egg until incorporated then add in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. The mixture may look curdled, but no need to panic! Mix in the bowl of dry ingredients on low speed until well incorporated. Then add in the semi-sweet chocolate. Gently fold the chocolate chunks into the dough.
Perfectly Imperfect
To fill the cookies, start by scooping balls 2 tablespoons in size onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. You should get about 12 balls. Make an indent into the center of each ball with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Use two spoons to help scoop a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center.
Measure out another 2 tablespoon scoop of dough and slightly flatten it into a rough disk, place it on top of the cream cheese filling and squish the seams of the top and bottom dough together, making sure the cream cheese filling is completely covered. Repeat this process for the remaining cookies. They don’t have to look like perfect balls they can look scraggly. The rough edges on the outside of the cookie will help add a crisp texture to the outside when it bakes. Press some of the pepitas onto each cookie. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place the cookies in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Remove the plastic wrap from the tray of cookies and bake them in the oven for about 18 minutes. The edges should be set and the center should still be soft. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle flaky salt on top if desired. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before serving. I know this part will be tough, but it’s crucial. The center of the cookies will still be very soft right out of the oven, so you need to give it time to set so it doesn’t fall apart. !
Hot and Cold
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies might be some of the best pumpkin cookies you make this Fall. The flavors of the pumpkin, spices, and chocolate are so delicious together. Then add in the creamy element of the cream cheese filling and you can only imagine how much better it gets. The outside of the cookie has a slight crisp crust and then the inside is so soft and gooey. The pumpkin seeds on top add a perfect crunchy element to contrast the cookie dough. While these cookies taste wildly good warm, they may taste even better cold. And that’s how you know these cookies are that good. Nine times out of ten, a cookie will always taste better warm. However, these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies are the one exception where it tastes equally, if not more, delicious when chilled in the fridge. They develop a similar texture to a fudgy brownie, so it’s dense and chewy. And then something about the cold chocolate chunks contrasting the chewy texture and melting in your mouth is too damn good. Either way you have it, you’re sure to be satisfied. So try this recipe out, and let me know if you prefer it hot or cold!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
For the Pumpkin Cookies:
- 3 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (sifted)
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 ½ tsp Pumpkin Spice
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (cold)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks
- 6 Tbsp Pepitas
Instructions
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar into a bowl and mix until well combined. Place it in the fridge while you prepare the pumpkin cookie dough.
For the Pumpkin Cookies:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice and kosher salt until evenly combined. Set it aside.
- Add the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat it on medium to medium high speed until creamy and whipped. Add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until combined. Mix in the egg until incorporated then add in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, the mixture may look curdled.
- Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until well incorporated. Then add in the semi-sweet chocolate. Gently fold the chocolate chunks into the dough.
- Scoop balls 2 tablespoons in size onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. You should get about 12 balls. Make an indent into the center of each ball with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Spoon a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center.
- Measure out another 2 tablespoon scoop of dough and slightly flatten it into a rough disk, place it on top of the cream cheese filling and squish the seams of the top and bottom dough together, making sure the cream cheese filling it completely covered. Repeat this process for the remaining cookies.
- The cookies don't have to look like perfect balls they can look scraggly. Press some of the pepitas onto each cookie. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place the cookies in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Remove the plastic wrap from the tray of cookies and bake them in the oven for about 18 minutes. The edges should be set and the center should still be soft. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
