As the crisp autumn air rolls in, there’s nothing better than indulging in a batch of Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies. These delightful treats combine the spiced flavors of pumpkin with the rich, tangy goodness of cream cheese, making them the perfect companion for a cozy afternoon. Whether you’re sharing them with friends or savoring them with a cup of tea, these cookies are sure to please.
The cream cheese filling is infused with a hint of coffee, perfectly complementing the pumpkin spices in the cookies. Together, they create an irresistible sandwich cookie that’s bursting with flavor.
On weekends, we enjoy exploring nearby towns and sampling pastries from various shops. Recently, in a Berkeley, California pastry shop, we tried a cookie with two chocolate chip cookies sandwiched with a rich coffee cream cheese filling. Inspired by the delightful flavor combination, I decided to recreate it using my pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie recipe.
The spicy blend of the pumpkin cookies with the coffee filling is a perfect match—like savoring a cookie alongside a cup of creamy coffee.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Cookie!
- Perfect Flavor Combination – The warm pumpkin spice pairs beautifully with the rich coffee cream cheese filling.
- Unique Twist on a Classic – This cookie offers a creative spin on traditional pumpkin or chocolate chip cookies by adding a coffee-infused filling.
- Ideal for Fall – With pumpkin and spice flavors, this cookie is the perfect treat for cozy autumn days.
- Balanced Sweetness – The cream cheese filling provides a subtle sweetness that complements the spiced cookie without being overly sugary.
- Texture Contrast – The soft, chewy cookie with a creamy filling creates a delightful contrast in every bite.
- Great with Coffee – These cookies are a perfect companion for a cup of coffee, enhancing the flavor experience.
Let’s Make This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Sandwich Cookie!
Cookie Ingredients:
- Butter – Adds richness and a soft texture to the cookies.
- Shortening – Helps create a tender and flaky cookie structure.
- Sugar – Provides sweetness and helps the cookies brown nicely.
- Eggs – Bind the ingredients together and add moisture to the dough.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances the overall flavor with a warm, aromatic note.
- Flour – Forms the base of the dough, giving the cookies their structure.
- Powdered Pumpkin Flour – Adds a concentrated pumpkin flavor and additional texture.
- Cream of Tartar – Acts as a leavening agent to give the cookies a soft, fluffy texture.
- Baking Soda – Works with the cream of tartar to help the cookies rise.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the other flavors.
- Cinnamon – Provides a warm, spicy flavor that complements the pumpkin.
- Pumpkin Spice – A blend of spices that adds a classic autumn flavor.
- Cloves – Adds a deep, earthy spiciness to the cookies.
- Nutmeg – Offers a sweet and nutty flavor that pairs well with pumpkin.
- Instant Coffee – Infuses the cream cheese filling with a rich coffee flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the cookie.
How to Make These Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies
Step 1 – Cookie Dough Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Cream together butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- In another bowl, stir the all-purpose flour, pumpkin flour, cream of tartar, soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Add flour mixture to the butter and shortening. Blend until the dough is mixed and formed.
- Shape dough into spoonfuls of balls.
- Mix 4 tablespoons of sugar and 4 teaspoons of cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the cookie balls in the sugar mixture until the cookie is totally covered.
- Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set. Remove immediately from baking sheets to a cookie rack.
Step 2 – Cream Cheese Filling
- In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee granules in 1 teaspoon of hot water. Stir until fully dissolved. If you prefer a stronger coffee flavor, you can add the coffee granules directly without dissolving.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, beating on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dissolved coffee and vanilla extract until the frosting is smooth and the coffee is fully incorporated.
- Taste and adjust the coffee flavor by adding more coffee granules if desired.
- Use approximately 2 tablespoons of frosting to fill each cookie sandwich.
Step 3 – Assembling the Cookies
- Add the Filling: Take one cookie and spread about 2 tablespoons of the coffee cream cheese filling onto the flat side using a small spatula or the back of a spoon. You can also pipe the filling onto the cookie for a neater look.
- Top with Another Cookie: Place another cookie on top of the filling, flat side down, and gently press down until the filling spreads slightly to the edges.
- Repeat: Continue this process with the remaining cookies and filling until all cookie sandwiches are assembled.
- Chill or Serve: You can enjoy the cookie sandwiches immediately or chill them for about 15 minutes to firm up the filling.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
A fluffy and subtle pumpkin cookie that is rolled in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. The inside is chewy while the outside is a tiny bit crunchy.
Servings: 24 cookie sandwiches
Calories: 150kcal
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- ¼ cup powdered pumpkin flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin spice
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
Sugar Mixture
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Coffee Filling
- ½ cup cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp coconut extract
- 1-2 tsp instant coffee granules
- 1 tsp hot water Hot water is optional, to dissolve the coffee granules for a smoother texture.
Instructions
Cookie Dough Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Cream together butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir the all-purpose flour, pumpkin flour, cream of tartar, soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Add flour mixture to the butter and shortening. Blend until the dough is mixed and formed.
- Shape dough into spoonfuls of balls.
- Mix 4 tablespoons of sugar and 4 teaspoons of cinnamon together in a small bowl. Roll the cookie balls in the sugar mixture until the cookie is totally covered.
- Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set. Remove immediately from baking sheets to a cookie rack.
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee granules in 1 teaspoon of hot water. Stir until fully dissolved. If you prefer a stronger coffee flavor, you can add the coffee granules directly without dissolving.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, beating on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dissolved coffee and vanilla extract until the frosting is smooth and the coffee is fully incorporated.
- Taste and adjust the coffee flavor by adding more coffee granules if desired.
- Use approximately 2 tablespoons of frosting to fill each cookie sandwich.
Assembling the Cookies
- Add the Filling: Take one cookie and spread about 2 tablespoons of the coffee cream cheese filling onto the flat side using a small spatula or the back of a spoon. You can also pipe the filling onto the cookie for a neater look.
- Top with Another Cookie: Place another cookie on top of the filling, flat side down, and gently press down until the filling spreads slightly to the edges.
- Repeat: Continue this process with the remaining cookies and filling until all cookie sandwiches are assembled.
- Chill or Serve: You can enjoy the cookie sandwiches immediately or chill them for about 15 minutes to let the filling firm up.
Notes
For the recipe, you need to buy some pure pumpkin flour. Here is the shopping link to the flour. I’m not sure if you use Pumpkin Puree, which will do to the recipe since it has a lot of moisture. The pumpkin flour is dry and doesn’t alter the cookie much. In fact, it makes it a fluffy cookie.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @happyhappynester or tag #happyhappynester!
Pumpkin Cookie Add-ons
- Chocolate Chips – Adds rich, melty chocolate goodness to every bite, balancing the spiced pumpkin flavors.
- Chopped Walnuts – Provides a crunchy texture and a nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin and spices.
- Dried Cranberries – Brings a sweet-tart burst of flavor that complements the warm spices and adds a chewy texture.
- White Chocolate Chunks – Offers a creamy sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the spiced cookie dough.
- Toasted Coconut Flakes – Adds a subtle tropical flavor and a bit of crunch, enhancing the cookie’s overall texture.
- Orange Zest – Introduces a fresh, citrusy note that brightens the flavor of the cookies, making them even more aromatic.
Add coffee-infused cream cheese filling between two cookies to create delightful pumpkin cream cheese cookies, a delicious sandwich treat.
Happy Fall!
Photo Credits: MyPhotography.com
I named my blog Happy Happy Nester because I love everything related to the home. I’ve always enjoyed decorating my surroundings. Get cozy and stay for a bit, thanks for visiting!
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