Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies (Pumpkin Golden Girls)

A few weeks ago, my blog buddy Alicia asked if I could do a pumpkin version of my cheesecake-stuffed Golden Girls cookies. And then Mumma got wind of these and asked for them as well. How could I say no?

Here you go, Alicia and Mumma! This is the perfect cookie for November because it combines two of the most popular Thanksgiving desserts: pumpkin pie and cheesecake. Yes, they're rich and decadent, but they're perfectly sized for portion control. (Or not!)

Stuffing the cookies is a labor-intensive process, but it's well worth the effort. These pumpkin cheesecake-stuffed cookies taste amazing and will definitely wow your holiday guests.

Makes 2 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies.)

Filling	6 ounces room-temperature cream cheese 1/3 cup canned pumpkin pie filling 3 tablespoons sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Creamables	1 stick butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Wet Ingredients	1 egg yolk 1/4 cup canned pumpkin pie filling 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients	1 1/4 cups oatmeal 1 cup finely ground graham crackers 3/4 cup flour 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Add the filling ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well.  Let the mixture cool and solidify in the refrigerator until step 7.
2. Preheat oven to 350º.
3. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then add to the creamables. Mix together until smooth.
5. In another large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
6. Shape dough into balls—about 2 tablespoons each.
7. Remove the filling mixture from the refrigerator and stuff each dough ball with 1 teaspoon of the mixture.  Put the stuffed dough balls in the freezer for five minutes to firm up.
8. Place chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
9. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.

Comments

[Mumma]

These sound SO-O-O yummy!! Please put them on the menu for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to piggin' out on these babies!!

[Tracey in WA]

YUMMY!!! I will have to try these for sure!!! Did you get my e-mqail I sent you?

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

You betcha, Mumma!

Thanks, Tracey. Yup...I got your Halloween email. Did you carve those pumpkins yourself? :-)

[Princess Ariele]

Thank you Greg! These are truly amazing...I think your best yet.

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Thanks, Princess Ariele! I'm so glad you liked them. :-)

[Alicia]

Doggone it! Me and my big mouth. I have the nerve to give you another idea for a cookie and am not in NYC to taste them. RATS!!!! Mumma will have to tell me how they are after Thanksgiving. Tell her I'm counting on her.

[Brooke]

Ok I am so excited to have found your blog! I love to bake-especially cookies and all your recipes look amazing! I can't wait to get started making all your recipes, I cant decide where to start!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Alicia. Thanks for the flavor suggestion! I'll have Mumma comment on them. :-)

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Brooke. Thanks so much! Let me know how the cookies come out. I love the feedback. :-)

[Nancy]

Okay, so I'm making these for Thanksgiving this year, looking over what ingredients I need, and...

Under "Filling" it says "2 1/2 Pumpkin Pie Spice". I'm going to assume that's teaspoons? I'll just run with that...

I'll let you know how fast they disappear, thanks for all the great cookie recipes!!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Nancy. Oops! Thanks for pointing that out! I've updated the recipe to say "teaspoons." I can't wait to hear how they come out!

[Jennifer]

I have been wanting to try your recipes for a while. And today I finally made some of these. Instead of using pumpkin pie filling, I used fresh pumpkin. I don't know how big of a difference it made, but the cookies taste delicious.

This might be a silly question....but I should refrigerate the cookies right? (since there is cheesecake....?)

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Jennifer. Yay! I'm so glad you made these and that you liked them. Swapping out the pumpkin pie filling with fresh pumpkin was a neat idea. You probably should refrigerate them. I usually don't have many left over when I make my cheesecake-stuffed cookies, so refrigeration hasn't been an issue. But if you've got leftovers, just go ahead and pop them in the fridge. Thanks for writing in! :-)

[Melissa]

I made these today and they were yummy! However, because our spice cabinet is actually just a whole bunch of little plastic baggies with worn off sharpie, I accidentally used garam masala instead of the pie spice. It still tasted pretty good to me, though! Maybe just a little spicier. Thanks for such a great recipe!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Melissa. Ha! Now *that's* a happy accident! I'm so glad you liked the cookies, even with the slight spice adjustment. :-)

[Wendy Taber]

These cookies sound wonderful...and I would love to make them to send to my nephew who is a Marine serving in Okinawa right now. His favorite dessert in pumpkin cheesecake. Packages take about 5 days to get there. Do you think they will last that long? Or not a good idea? Thanks Wendy

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Wendy. Unfortunately, it's probably not a good idea to ship these guys over a long distance. I've done some research on the safety of cream cheese. Check this out:

http://oatmealcookie.typepad.com/the_oatmeal_cookie_blog/2009/05/reader-query-shipping-golden-girls-cookies.html

[bird]

nice!!!! this is next week's baking project! brought in some french toast & bacon cupcakes for the office today- huge hit, but no one can say no to a cream cheese filled cookie!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Bird. Those cupcakes sound AWESOME!!!!

[Olivia]

I'm a HUGE fan of pumpkin cheescake and made these last night. They are AMAZING! I never would have thought to bake with graham crackers!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Olivia. Thanks! So glad you liked these. :-)

[Alina Charis Parrott]

What do you think about dipping half in chocolate and giving as gifts? I think I'm going to try the cookie first. I will be making them today. Along with Chocolate Turtles, Caramel Chocolate Apples, and Chocolate covered candy canes for gifts.
-Alina