I aboslutely love a soft baked cookie. I mean, I love all cookies but there is just something about those commericial soft baked ones that I can get enough of (see, the pumpkin cheesecake Pepperidge Farm Cookies). So I had to make these. The base is a pumpkin cheesecake cookie that is crazy soft, thanks to cornstarch and brown sugar, perfectly spiced and packed with chunks of cream cheese white chocolate bark. There are plenty of “cheesecake-stuffed” pumpkin cookies on the internet, but there was something about biting into that cream cheese center that I just didn’t vibe with. Instead, I wanted to emulate those store-bought cookies that use cream cheese “chips,” so I made my own by mixing cream cheese and white chocolate, chilling it into a thin bark, chopping it up and folding it through the dough. Every bite gets creamy, tangy pockets of cheesecake.
The hardest part of any pumpkin cookie is keeping it from turning cakey. Sometimes we like a cakey cookie and other times we literally want cake- like my delicious pumpkin muffin tops. However, in this recipe we wanted a very specifc soft baked cookie texture. Since pumpkin puree is mostly water, and that water turns cookies puffy, you must blot the pumpkin down before it goes into the dough. The result is a thick, chewy cookie with a real pumpkin pie spice flavor.
Bake them for Thanksgiving, holiday cookie boxes or any fall weekend you want something a little more special than a regular pumpkin cookie.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Cheesecake in every bite. Chopped cream cheese white chocolate bark melts into soft, creamy pockets throughout the cookie.
- Chewy, not cakey. Blotted pumpkin, one egg yolk and a little cornstarch keep the texture dense and chewy.
- No stuffing required. You fold the bark into the dough instead of wrapping each cookie around a filling.
- Make-ahead friendly. The dough chills for at least 2 hours and up to 72, so you can bake whenever it suits you.
- Warm fall flavor. Brown sugar, honey and pumpkin pie spice taste like a slice of pumpkin cheesecake.
Why These Pumpkin Cookies Stay Chewy, Not Cakey
Most pumpkin cookies come out soft and puffy because of extra moisture. Water turns to steam in the oven and lifts the dough like a cake. Each choice in this recipe cuts that moisture or controls the spread.
- Blotted pumpkin. Pressing ⅓ cup of puree between paper towels until it’s down to ¼ cup removes water but keeps the pumpkin flavor concentrated.
- Egg yolk only. The white is mostly water and adds lift. The yolk adds richness and helps bind the dough without making it cakey.
- Brown sugar and honey. Both hold onto moisture, which keeps the cookies chewy and soft for days.
- Cornstarch. It makes the crumb tender and helps the cookies stay thick.
- Chilling the dough. At least 2 hours in the fridge firms up the butter and the bark so the cookies don’t spread too much, and the flavor deepens the longer it rests.
What Is Cream Cheese White Chocolate Bark?
Cheesecake bark is cream cheese mixed with melted white chocolate, spread thin and frozen until firm enough to chop. The white chocolate helps it set, and the cream cheese gives it that tangy cheesecake flavor.
It never gets hard or brittle like regular chocolate bark. It stays slightly soft even when frozen, and that’s what you want. In the oven, the chunks soften into creamy pockets instead of melting away into the dough.
Use a white chocolate bar, not chips. A bar melts smoothly into the cream cheese, while chips contain stabilizers that keep them from melting as evenly.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Add a process photo after each step with its own alt text, such as “Folding chopped cheesecake bark into pumpkin cookie dough.”
Make the cheesecake bark
Melt the white chocolate: Melt the white chocolate until smooth, then set it aside to cool slightly.
Mix the cream cheese: In a medium bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese, salt and vanilla bean paste, if using, until mostly smooth. Don’t whip air into it; just mix until no large lumps remain.
Combine: Fold in the melted white chocolate until fully combined. The mixture should be smooth and thick.
Spread it thin: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and spread the mixture into a thin, even layer with an offset spatula.
Freeze: Freeze for about 1 hour, until firm enough to handle.
Chop: Chop the bark into small pieces and keep them in the freezer until the dough is ready. The bark won’t get hard or brittle, and that’s what you want.
Make the pumpkin cookie dough
Blot the pumpkin: Spread the pumpkin puree on a double layer of paper towels and press another paper towel on top to soak up the moisture. Repeat until it’s reduced to ¼ cup, then set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar: Add the room temperature butter and brown sugar to a large bowl if using a hand mixer, or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until creamed, light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the wet ingredients: Add the egg yolk, honey and blotted pumpkin and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.
Make the dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and no streaks of flour remain. Don’t overmix.
Add the bark: Add the chopped cheesecake bark pieces and fold them in by hand with a spatula until evenly distributed.
Scoop and chill: Scoop the dough into balls of at least 2 tablespoons each and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the entire sheet with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 72 hours.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Don’t skip blotting. Unblotted pumpkin adds enough water to turn these cakey. Keep pressing until you’re down to ¼ cup.
- Use room temperature butter and cream cheese. Cold butter won’t cream properly, and cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the bark.
- Keep the bark cold. Chop it and return it to the freezer until the dough is ready, then fold it in quickly so it stays in distinct pieces.
- Chill the dough. Two hours is the minimum. Longer chilling gives thicker cookies and deeper spice flavor.
How to Store Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Fridge: Because of the cream cheese in the bark, store baked cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving for the softest texture.
- Make-ahead dough: The scooped dough keeps in the fridge, covered, for up to 72 hours. Bake straight from the fridge.
- Freeze the dough: Freeze scooped dough balls on a sheet until firm, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie FAQ
Do pumpkin cheesecake cookies need to be refrigerated?
Yes. The cheesecake bark is made with cream cheese, so keep the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.
Why are my pumpkin cookies cakey?
Usually it’s too much moisture from the pumpkin or a whole egg. Blotting the puree down to ¼ cup and using only the yolk keeps these chewy. This is the same technique we use in my Pumpkin Coffee Cake Cookies!
Are these stuffed pumpkin cheesecake cookies?
No. Instead of a cheesecake center, the cream cheese is mixed with white chocolate, frozen into bark, chopped and folded into the dough. You get creamy cheesecake pockets in every bite without stuffing each cookie.
Can I use white chocolate chips for the bark?
A bar works best, but you can use chips if you would like to.
Can I skip chilling the dough?
No. Without the chill, the cookies spread more and the bark softens too much before baking. Two hours is the minimum.
How long do pumpkin cheesecake cookies bake?
Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Cookie Butter Swirl Cheesecake
- Brûléed Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
- Copycat Panera Pumpkin Muffin Tops
If you make these pumpkin cheesecake cookies, leave a star rating and a comment below. I’d love to hear how you liked the cheesecake bark!
Ingredients
Cheesecake Bark
- 4 oz white chocolate 113 grams
- ¾ cup cup cream cheese 165 grams, room temperature (5.8 oz or about ¾ of an 8 oz block, if you aren’t using a scale)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Pumpkin Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams softened
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar 165 grams
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon honey 15 ml
- ⅓ cup pure pumpkin puree 80 grams blotted down to ¼ cup (about 60 grams)
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour 156 grams measured accurately (too much flour will make these cookies dry)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch 24 grams
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cream Cheese White Chocolate Bark
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate until smooth, then set it aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, mix the room-temperature cream cheese with a pinch of salt until mostly smooth. You do not want to whip air into the cream cheese; just mix until there are no large lumps remaining.
- Fold in the melted white chocolate until fully combined. The mixture should be fairly smooth and thick.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to the prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread it into a thin, even layer.
- Freeze for about 1 hour, or until firm and solid enough to handle.
- Remove the bark from the freezer and chop it into small pieces to use in the brownies. It won’t snap like chocolate bark. It should feel like firm fudge.
Pumpkin Cookies
- Remove the moisture from the pumpkin: Spread the pumpkin puree on a double layer of paper towels and press another paper towel on top to soak up the moisture. Repeat until it’s reduced to ¼ cup, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the room temperature butter and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer (or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix on medium speed until creamed, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a nonstick spatula.
- Add the egg yolk, honey, and blotted pumpkin and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and no streaks of flour remain.
- Gently fold in the chopped cheesecake bark pieces, you want them incorporated into the dough but still in visible chunks.
- Scoop the dough into balls of at least 2 tablespoons each and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the entire sheet with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 72 hours.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
Rate This Recipe
What did your think?