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If you’ve looked through my articles, or even checked out my bio, you might have guessed that I love to bake. My absolute favorite time of the year to bake is the fall, mostly because I love working with typical fall flavors, like pumpkin and apple! I recently took a day to make a few autumnal recipes I had saved, and my favorite one ended up being pumpkin cheesecake cookies. I found the recipe from In Bloom Bakery, a cookbook blog run by Ginny Dyer. I was considering a few different recipes for the same dessert, but I’m so glad I went with Ginny’s as they were amazing! Here is the recipe below, I hope you’ll try it out for yourself!
Ingredients:
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 3 tablespoon (38 g) granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the Spiced Sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the Pumpkin Cookies
- ½ cup (122 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Recipe Instructions:
- The first step is to make the cheesecake balls. This must be done earlier in the day from the actual baking process, as the cheesecake balls have to sit in the freezer until they are solid. First, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or I like to use a silicone reusable sheet mat. Then, use an electric mixer to mix together the cream cheese, white sugar, and vanilla for a few minutes until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is fluffy. Then, scoop the cheesecake mixture into balls that are about 2 teaspoons. There should be enough to make 16 balls, with a bit leftover in the bowl.
- Before you start baking, this is when I suggest grabbing your butter out of the fridge so it softens up by the time you need to use it!
- The next step is to create the spiced sugar mix. Simply whisk (or mix with a spoon) the white sugar and pumpkin pie spice, then cover and put aside.
- Later on in the day, preheat the oven to 350 ℉ and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This next step is a little funny, but it is important…
- You need to dry your pumpkin. This is something I’ve never done before, but it made the cookies turn out perfectly. Spread your canned pumpkin on a plate (the recipe recommends Libby’s, but I had used a different brand and it still turned out okay!). Then, take paper towels, and lightly press onto the pumpkin mixture to dry it. You should repeat this step at least 4 times, but it took me probably around 7. In the end, it should reduce from its original ½ cup to just under a ¼ of a cup.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then, in a larger bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and the brown sugar. After a minute, add in the egg yolks and vanilla (technically 2 teaspoons of vanilla, but I always like to measure with my heart).
- Continuing with the electric mixture, add to the wet mixture the dried pumpkin, and on a lower speed add in the dry ingredients.
- Once your dough is mixed, scoop it out into 16 portions (about 2 tablespoons each), roll into a ball on the cookie sheet, and then flatten. Add your cheesecake balls from the freezer onto the flattened cookie dough, and then re-roll the dough into a ball, making sure to fully encapsulate the cheesecake ball. Finally, roll the cookie dough ball in the spiced sugar mixture, and place back on the cookie sheet. I unfortunately forgot this step when making the cookies (even after making the mix earlier!), but I’ll make sure to remember it for next time.
- Bake cookies at 350 ℉ for 12-13 minutes. The original recipe called for 6 cookies at a time, but I did two rounds of 8 and it wasn’t too crowded on the cookie sheet! Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes after taking them out of the oven before moving them to a wire cooling rack.
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or kept in the freezer for up to two weeks. Make sure to check out In Bloom Bakery’s website for other recipes, and let me know if you end up making these delicious cookies!