Best Pumpkin Pie Cookies with Creamy Pumpkin Filling | Cozy Fall Dessert
Soft Pumpkin Pie Cookies filled with creamy pumpkin spice filling — a cozy, easy fall dessert that tastes like pumpkin pie in cookie form. Ready in under an hour!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2 ⅔ cups (337 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice (or homemade blend: ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp nutmeg + ⅛ tsp ginger + pinch of clove)
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 12 tbsp (6 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coarse sugar (for rolling)
For the Pumpkin Filling:
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pumpkin spice
- 2 tbsp milk (whole, 2%, or oat)
- ⅓ cup pure pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat & Prepare
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin spice, and salt. Set aside.
Cream the Base
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy — about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and mix until fully incorporated.
Combine Dry & Wet
- Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing gently each time until a thick dough forms.(If the dough feels too soft, chill it for 10–15 minutes before shaping.)
- Make the Pumpkin Filling
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin spice, milk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla until smooth.
Shape the Cookies
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls (about 36g each).
- Roll each ball in coarse sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to press a well into the center of each dough ball.
Fill & Bake
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of pumpkin filling into each well.
- Bake for 14–17 minutes, or until the cookies are set and their bottoms are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before handling.