Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies (Fall Favorite!)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1 egg
• 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar divided
• 2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract divided
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 cup pumpkin purée

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Separate the egg white from the yolk and blend the egg white and cream cheese. Set aside the egg yolk for use later on.
3. Add ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract to the cream cheese and continue blending until smooth.
4. Using a small cookie dough scoop, portion out 1-tablespoon balls of the cheesecake filling on a parchment-lined baking sheet (you should have 18 balls). Place them in the freezer to chill for 1 hour.
5. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup granulated sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter, remaining 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
8. Add the egg yolk and pumpkin puree and blend until smooth.
9. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
10. Scoop equal portions of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a 3-tablespoon (large cookie dough scoop). Wet a piece of paper towel and flatten each ball of dough with moistened hands until it measures a 3 ½-inch wide circle. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow the dough to chill for 15 minutes (this makes it easier to handle, as the dough is very sticky).
11. Place the cheesecake filling in the center of each dough circle.
12. Fold up the edges of the dough so it envelops the cheesecake filling. Pinch the top closed so that no cheesecake filling is visible.
13. Flatten the dough balls slightly and dredge them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.