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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies

Chunky pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with a cream cheese filling! These are a cross between the popular Levain cookies and Starbucks' Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin.
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 48 minutes
Servings 12 Cookies
Author Olivia Lam

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!