After making this week's Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream Squares and using half a can of pumpkin, I needed a recipe to use up the second half can of pumpkin. The result? Soft Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies!
They have a cream cheese filling that's baked on top, and then swirls of cream cheese icing are piped out over the cooled cookies. They're very soft and cake-like, so if you want a denser, heartier cookie you might keep looking. But if you want a soft pumpkin cookie, this recipe is perfect.
Freezing Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
I mentioned this in the notes, but am adding it here too. These freeze well. Just make the cookies as directed, freeze uncovered JUST until the icing is firm (40 minutes or so), then store the cookies in a freezer bag.
Recipe
Soft Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Soft and cakey pumpkin cookies filled with cheesecake filling and topped with cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (114 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- Tiny pinch of salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoons sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar, scant (190 grams)
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
Icing:
- 4 ounces of cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat together all ingredients for the cream cheese mixture and set aside.
- Make the cookie dough. Beat pumpkin, egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a mixing bowl – you can do it by hand or with a mixer. Add the flour and stir just until it is mixed in.
- Using a slightly rounded tablespoon, drop gobs of dough onto cookie sheets spacing about 2 inches apart. With a dampened finger, make a small well in the center of each cookie and put a spoonful of cream cheese mixture (use a rounded ½ teaspoon measure) in the center. Bake at 375º for 13 to 15 minutes or until cookies appear set.
- Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla together to make cream cheese icing. Put the icing in a heavy duty freezer bag, snip off the tip, and pipe it over the cookies. Chill the cookies for about an hour just to help set the icing a bit.
Notes
Depending on how bit you make the cookies, you might get up to 30. I put the yield at 24 just to be safe. These freeze well.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sue says
Puting it in chili is a good idea. I'd still rather they put two full cups in a can though.
Anna says
Sue, I halve so many recipes that it hasn't affected me. When I do have bits of pumpkin leftover, I put it in chili, add it to soup or feed it to the dog in small amounts.
Sue says
I also made pumpkin cookies this week. Mine had walnuts in them and a simple frosting substituting apple cider for the cream. How do you cope with the cans of pumpkin having less than two cups in them? There is never enough for a second recipe of anything.