Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles

Where do I start with these cookies? Pumpkin, so of course they taste like fall. Cheesecake, yup a creamy filling inside each cookie. And Snickerdoodle, because, hello? Snickerdoodles! But I need to be honest--these cookies are a touch time consuming and the dough will work against you a bit. But your patience will be rewarded with an amazingly good cookie. The cookie is soft, coated in cinnamon sugar and full of pumpkin flavor. Plus a creamy center surprises you with a lovely cheesecake filling. These would be a perfect cookie for a fall festival or even your Thanksgiving dessert table (I promise you, it is not to early to start thinking about your Thanksgiving menu!).

You know me and snickerdoodles--I have a serious obsession and can't help myself from making alltheflavors. So of course when I found this flavor from Alyssa at The Recipe Critic, I needed to give it a try. I mean, it's a snickerdoodle that tastes like pumpkin and is shoved full of cream cheese. How could I not give it a go? I did opt to use pumpkin pie spice in lieu of the combination of other baking spices.  Now, the tricky part is working with the cookie dough to get that creamy cheesecake filling inside. The dough is a bit sticky and though the cookie bakes up nicely around the filling, it can be trying to ensure you surround the filling completely with your dough. Be patient. Use cinnamon sugar on your hands to help with the sticking. And don't worry if you don't have perfect cookie balls to "roll" in a cinnamon sugar coating. Just dunk those stuffed cookie dough mounds in your cinnamon sugar and arrange them on the baking sheet--as a snickerdoodle, they should be slightly flattened anyway. Some of my photos don't really show the lovely creamy centers, but I didn't want to break them all open. Use a little more cheesecake filling than you think you need and remember, be patient wrapping your dough around the filling. You'll be rewarded, I promise!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cups cinnamon sugar

In a mixing bowl, which together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt until combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, beat butter on medium high speed until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar with brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy, another 3 minutes or so, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Add pumpkin, egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla, beating after each addition.

Reduce speed to low and gradually stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. Cover and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Prepare cream cheese filling while dough chills by beating cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup sugar with remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla. Once combined and smooth, cover and chill for an hour.

Place cinnamon sugar in a small bowl for rolling stuffed cookies.

Scoop about a tablespoon of pumpkin cookie dough into palm of hand and press to flatten. Place a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center of the flattened dough. Fold the cookie dough around the cream cheese and work the dough into a seal, not quite a ball but a slightly flattened disc.

Dredge stuffed cookie in cinnamon sugar and arrange on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, until just set and edges are gently golden, taking care not to overbake.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

Remove from oven and cool on pans for 5 minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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