Pumpkin, meet cheesecake. Cheesecake, meet cookies. Now that everyone is acquainted it’s time to join forces for the most festive dessert of the fall season: Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies.
The setup on this one is simple: A Graham cracker cookie is topped with tangy pumpkin cheesecake filling, which is then baked, cooled and topped (again) with Secret Ingredient Whipped Cream and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice. And the result is a fork-free version of classic pumpkin pie, sans all the time and elbow grease it takes to make pie crust.
Ready to keep the pumpkin party rollin’? Don’t miss more of my favorite recipes for Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispies Treats, Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Banana Bread and more pumpkin-filled treats.
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Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 sleeve graham crackers (See Kelly's Note)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
For the cheesecake filling:
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Homemade or store-bought whipped cream, for topping
- Equipment: Piping bag or sealable plastic bag
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- In the bowl of a food processor, blend the graham crackers until they are finely crushed and are the consistency of flour. Transfer the crushed graham crackers to a large bowl then stir in the flour and baking powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined then add the graham cracker mixture and beat just until combined.
- Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop about 2-tablespoon mounds of the dough onto the cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 2 inches apart. Press your thumb (or use the back of a spoon) into the top of each mound to form a small indentation.
- Clean out the stand mixer bowl then add the cream cheese, egg yolk, pumpkin purée, sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice and beat until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or sealable plastic bag then pipe about 1 ½ teaspoons of the mixture into the center of each cookie. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until the cheesecake is set.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Top each cooled cookie with a dollop of whipped cream and serve immediately.
Kelly's Note:
- One sleeve of graham crackers is equal to 9 crackers, which will yield 1 ¼ cups of crumbs.
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Recipe adapted from Food Network.
How would you prep these beforehand and are they freezable? I would love these for thanksgiving but don’t want to make them ON thanksgiving
Hi Katie! The cookies can be frozen prior to baking. Hope this helps!
These look delish! I would like to healthy it up a little, has anyone tried using coconut oil for butter and any nut or oat flours for ap flour?
I’ve never tried those substitutions so unfortunately, I can’t weigh in on what the results would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Thank you so much for this recipe my dad is 94 and in the rest home. He loves pumpkin and sweets. He is having a hard time swallowing now dew to some.problems he is having now. I am going to make these today and take them and give them to him . Have a blessed day
I hope you and your dad enjoyed the recipe, Peggy!
Fun twist on pumpkin cheesecake without all the fuss. Super tasty, too!
Thanks so much for rating the recipe, Elizabeth! Glad you enjoyed it!
So cute! Making these this weekend for part our Thanksgiving dinner. This may become a tradition. Pie for the adults and cheese cake cookies for the young at heart!
Love it! Have a wonderful (and tasty!) Thanksgiving, Nancy!
Can these be made in advance or will the cookie get soggy in the refrigerator?
Hi Dieselle! They’re definitely best if baked on the same day they’re enjoyed.
How come we can’t access the “Secret Whipped Cream” ingredients?
Thank you for letting me know the link isn’t working, Jeannie! I’ve updated the link in the text above: https://www.justataste.com/video-secret-ingredient-homemade-whipped-cream-recipe/
Can’t wait to make these!! Does one need to refrigerate them after they are baked?
Hi Thea! I would, just to be safe, since they are technically cheesecake :)
What adorable little cookies! Like tiny pumpkin pies! Love the pumpkin + cheesecake filling, sounds like the perfect accompaniment to graham cookies :)
Another adorable idea! What a perfect way to conquer the conquer those cookie and pie cravings at once!
Oh my God – these are so stinkin’ cute!