Pumpkin Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies are moist, soft, and full of delicious pumpkin flavor! You’re going to love these crowd favorite cookies!
The best thing about Fall is all of the baking. Once we notice canned pumpkin puree front and center in our grocery stores, there isn’t any delaying it. We want to enjoy the fall flavors for as long as we possibly can! Pumpkin, apple, pecan, yum! We don’t discriminate, we love them all! We also love how this recipe uses so many pantry staples. We like to keep these things on hand so that we don’t have to run to the grocery store for our favorite recipes. Which means that in just 1 hour, you can be munching on these amazing cookies. We know you’ll love them!
Why should I chill the dough for pumpkin cheesecake thumbprint cookies?
Chilling your dough is a crucial step to ensuring the perfect cookie, and you do not want to skip it! Chilling will cool down the butter, preventing the cookies from spreading out too fast in the oven.
Salted vs. Unsalted Butter:
You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. If you use salted butter you will want to omit the 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Egg Substitutes:
Not all egg substitutes are created equal, and some can affect the taste of the cookie. We recommend a plant-based egg substitute if you do not want to bake with eggs.
Storage Instructions:
Due to the cream cheese, you will need to store your cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other fantastic pumpkin recipes:
Watch the video below where Caytlin will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Rolling Sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add in egg, pumpkin and vanilla then mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ground ginger. Mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Combine the dry mixture into the wet mixture a little at a time until all is mixed in and blend for another 30 seconds to ensure all is incorporated.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make your cheesecake filling by beating your cream cheese with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add in your sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- In a small bowl, stir together sugar and pumpkin pie spice for rolling.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar mixture and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes, until slightly golden. Remove from oven. While still warm, use the back of a 1/2 or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to create a bowl shape to hold the cheesecake filling.
- Let cookies cool on pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, spoon cheesecake filling into the center to fill. Sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture or pumpkin spice as desired.
Nutrition
