Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with a Cream Cheese Filling
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These pumpkin cookies are soft & puffy with a creamy surprise center!
Ingredients
  • For the cookies:
  • 3¾ cups flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • For the filling:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Cinnamon-sugar coating:
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon. ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
  1. For the cookies:
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.
  3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. If you have any more dry streaks on the bottom, fold together gently with a spatula until just combined. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
  4. For the filling:
  5. While the dough chills, make the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Cover and chill this as well (for at least a ½ hour).
  6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices for the coating with a fork till all blended.
  7. Take one tablespoon of dough (I used my small cookie scoop, a #60 size) Flatten it into a pancake shape. Place one teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of the pancake. Form another tablespoon of dough into an equally-sized pancake shape, and place on top, keeping the cream cheese in the middle. Gently pinch together the edges of the dough around the cream cheese to seal, then gently roll into a ball. Roll the ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheet. (It is best if you fill and roll each cookie then do another one or the dough will get too soft and it will be too sticky to fill and roll into a ball.) I did 12 cookies per half sheet. Dip the bottom of a flat, drinking glass in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Re-coat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture when needed. If the dough starts to get too sticky, you can stick it back in the fridge between baking.
  8. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until they are slightly firm to the touch and the tops are beginning to crackle. (I baked mine for 10 min.) Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
  9. Makes 3½ dozen.
Recipe by Baked in AZ at https://bakedinaz.com/pumpkin-snickerdoodles-cream-cheese-filling/