Description
These easy cheesecake-filled pumpkin thumbprint cookies combine soft, spiced pumpkin-flavored cookie dough with a creamy vanilla cheesecake filling. Perfect for autumn and holiday gatherings, these delightful treats offer a tender bite filled with luscious cream cheese icing and a hint of warm spices.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the cookies:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted 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 unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese (2 oz), at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) so it’s 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.
- Cream butter and sugars: Using a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with both brown and white sugars until the texture becomes light and fluffy, which usually takes a few minutes.
- Add wet ingredients: Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree, ensuring each ingredient is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Combine flour mixture: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until everything is fully mixed into a consistent cookie dough.
- Form cookie dough balls: Drop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
- Bake the cookies: Place the tray in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are firm but not browned.
- Create thumbprints: Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, press a thumbprint in the center of each cookie using the back of a teaspoon or the end of a wooden spoon. This creates a well for the filling.
- Cool cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before adding the filling to prevent melting or sliding.
- Prepare the cheesecake filling: While cookies cool, beat together the softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Fill the thumbprints: Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, carefully pipe the cream cheese filling into each cooled cookie indentation. Alternatively, use a small plastic bag with the tip cut off if a piping bag is unavailable.
- Add toppings (optional): Sprinkle any optional toppings onto the moist filling immediately after piping to decorate or add extra texture.
Notes
- If you don’t have a piping bag, place the filling in a small plastic sandwich bag, twist to close, cut a tiny corner, and gently squeeze to pipe the filling into the cookie centers.
- Moving your hand quickly in a circular motion while piping creates a pretty swirl pattern on top of the filling.
- Ensure cookies are completely cooled before filling to avoid melting the cheesecake mixture.
- For extra flavor, consider adding chopped nuts or a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the filling before it sets.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 92 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.05 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
