Description
These Easy Cheesecake Filled Pumpkin Thumbprint Cookies combine the warm spices and moist texture of pumpkin cookies with a creamy, sweet cheesecake filling. Perfect for fall or holiday treats, these cookies offer a delightful contrast between soft cookie and rich filling, making them a crowd-pleaser for all ages.
Ingredients
Units
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For the Cookies
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
For the Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese (2 oz), at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) to get it ready for baking the cookies.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside for later.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with both brown and white sugars until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, ensuring a smooth texture in your cookies.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Beat well after each addition until everything is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- Combine Mixtures: Gradually stir in the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients until just mixed, making sure there are no pockets of flour but don’t overmix.
- Form Cookie Dough Balls: Drop the cookie dough by tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them adequately to allow spreading.
- Bake the Cookies: Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are firm to the touch but not browned.
- Create Thumbprints: Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, press a thumbprint or use the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool completely to set.
- Prepare Cheesecake Filling: While cookies cool, beat together the softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until the filling is smooth and creamy.
- Fill the Cookies: Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a piping bag fitted with a star tip (or a small plastic bag with the corner cut off) to fill each thumbprint with the cheesecake filling, creating a pretty swirl on top if desired.
- Add Toppings (Optional): Sprinkle any desired add-ons (nuts, cinnamon, or decorative sugars) over the moist icing for extra texture and flavor.
Notes
- If a piping bag is not available, use a small plastic bag filled with the cream cheese filling, twist the end to remove air, then cut off one corner to pipe the filling easily.
- Piping in a quick, circular motion creates a pretty swirl effect on the cookie filling.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before filling to prevent the filling from melting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 92
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 81mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0.05g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 13mg
