Like I mentioned in my October recap, for some reason I had a vision of a Halloween cookie platter stuck in my head for the whole month. I made it a reality, and brought everything to work for some happy sugar rushes (and crashes).

The first two cookies were some of my faves “Halloween-ized” – these Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies with Halloween M&Ms and My Favourite Sugar Cookies in pumpkin shapes, with swirly orange (colour not flavour) icing.

But the third cookie totally blew my mind. I saw these on Chel Sweets Instagram last year and never forgot about them. How could I? A soft pumpkin cookie, stuffed with cheesecake and rolled in cinnamon sugar? A baking nerd such as myself doesn’t just let that one go!

I’m normally anti-Snickerdoodle, but these are so much more. They’re just Fall in a cookie and I can see myself making these every October/November from now on. It takes a little bit of time/coordination to get all the components ready, and then assembled, but it’s SO worth it. I’m absolutely obsessed.

My only tip is to store these in the fridge, because they get really soft at room temperature. They also taste great cold!

Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Source: Chel Sweets

Yield: 12 big cookies, but this recipe is easily doubled (which I did)

Ingredients

Cheesecake Filling

  • 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Cookies

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

  1. For the cheesecake filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth and combined. Line a plate or baking sheet (that will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper.
  2. Use a spoon to scoop dollops (about 1 tbsp in size) of the filling onto the plate/sheet – you should have 12. Freeze for at least 45 minutes, or until you’re ready to form and bake the cookies.
  3. For the cookies, cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until mixture lightens in colour. Add the pumpkin puree and mix again until combined.
  4. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt, and mix again until just combined. Line a plate with parchment paper.
  5. Divide the dough into 12 balls, and place on the plate. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.
  6. For the coating, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl
  7. To form/bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Flatten the cookie dough balls in the palm of your hand, and place a dollop of cheesecake filling in the centre. Wrap the cookie dough around the filling, completely covering it.
  9. Toss each cookie in the cinnamon sugar coating, and place on the cookie sheets, at least 3″ apart.
  10. Bake for 16-19 minutes.