These Cream Cheese Pumpkin Cookies are a store-bought shortcut that will change the way you look at cake mix! These cookies are soft and chewy with the perfect dollop of cheesecake in the center! Fall baking just got a fun new twist!
I love the sweet and tangy combination of cream cheese and pumpkin together! If you're like me and can't get enough of this combination try out these Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins!
Get that pumpkin cheesecake in your breakfast and your dessert!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These Cream Cheese Pumpkin Cookies are easy to make with this store-bought shortcut! You'll never guess that these soft and chewy cookies come from a cake mix!
Cake Mix
I love using cake mix to make cookies, muffins, and even pancakes! It's a great shortcut to have on hand because it can be used for so many different treats! If you think about it, cake mix is just a combination of flour, sweetener and leavening agent! Which means you can make just about any dessert with that! I like to use spice cake mix because of the fall flavors, but you could do vanilla as well!
Pumpkin Puree
For this recipe, I recommend using canned pumpkin puree! Make sure when you're at the grocery store, you don't accidentally grab the pumpkin pie mix! Pumpkin pie mix is a combination of pumpkin puree, sugar, and a milk of some kind and it could throw off the recipe if you use that. Leave the pumpkin pie mix for the pies and grab pumpkin puree for this recipe.
Ingredients
- Spice Cake Mix
- Flavorless Oil
- Pumpkin Puree
- Cream Cheese
- Heavy Cream
- Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
See recipe below for all the details!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Combine oil and pumpkin in a bowl.
- Step 2: Then add in cake mix.
- Step 3: Scoop the cookie dough into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Step 4: Then pipe a dollop of cream cheese in the middle.
Hint: I like to use a piping bag to pipe the cream cheese in the middle! It makes this process a little easier and cleaner. If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a sandwich baggie with the corner snipped off.
Variations and Substitutions
Pumpkin and cream cheese is my newest flavor combination of fall but here are some other ways to enjoy these cookies!
- Cream Cheese Frosting - if you don't want to make your own cream cheese filling, just bake the cookies, then add a store-bought cream cheese frosting to the top!
- Pecans - add a few chopped pecans to the cookie dough for a little crunch in the cookies!
- Chocolate chips - leave out the cream cheese completely and add some chocolate chips for a chocolate pumpkin combination!
If you like more chocolate pumpkin combination, try out this Pumpkin Cookie Cake!
Equipment
Baking Sheet - baking sheets are the best for making cookies! I like to use a larger baking sheet that gives the cookies plenty of room when they're baking!
Cookie Scoop - to make the cookies are similar shaped, I like to use a 2 ounce cookie scoop. It makes it easier to get cookies all the same shape so they bake up easily and uniformly in the oven!
Top tip
I like to use a piping bag to get a little dollop of cream cheese in the middle. Then I like to gently pat down any spikes of cream cheese so they don't brown too quickly in the oven!
Storage
- Fridge - store in an airtight container for about 3-4 days!
- Freezer - because of the cheesecake and cookie portion, I don't recommend freezing these cookies!
FAQ
You could also use a vanilla cake mix and add in some cinnamon if you can't find spice cake!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
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Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese (Cake Mix)
Ingredients
- 1 box Spice Cake Mix
- ½ cup Flavorless Oil
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
Cream Cheese Filling:
- ½ block Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
- 2 teaspoons Flour
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Make the cream cheese filling first, by combining cream cheese, heavy cream, flour, powdered sugar, and vanilla.½ block Cream Cheese, 1 tablespoon Heavy Cream, 2 teaspoons Flour, ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Scoop cream cheese mixture into a piping bag and set aside.
- Mix together oil and pumpkin puree.½ cup Flavorless Oil, ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- Then, add in cake mix, stir together, then set aside.1 box Spice Cake Mix
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon.½ cup Sugar, 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- Scoop out the cookie dough and roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Then place on the baking sheet. Use the back of a teaspoon to make an indent in the middle of the cookie.
- Pipe a dollop of the cream cheese in the middle.
- Then bake for about 15 minutes!
- Let cool slightly and enjoy!
Kelly
Loved the cookies. I had to refrigerate the dough, before sheeting. The batter was loose. I used a full can of pumpkin and added 2 tbs of cake flour to thicken.