Pumpkin cheesecake cookies

Have you heard about Pepperidge Farms' new pumpkin cheesecake cookies? Well, my husband got a word of it and asked if I wanted to buy some during our next trip to the grocery store. I agreed, but of course I was curious and wanted to make my own version.

When I told my husband that I would make him my version of pumpkin cheesecake cookies, he was ecstatic. I found a recipe on Sweet Treats and More and was excited to try it out. Since the Pepperidge Farm version looked like it had white chocolate chips in them, I added some into mine as well.

Holy cow - these were out of this world!  I already love pumpkin, and the cream cheese base in the cookie made it taste like a pumpkin cheesecake. The white chocolate chips added another layer of sweetness, and the maple cream cheese glaze added another layer of flavor. Fall is definitely well represented in these cookies.

I am happy to add another pumpkin cookie recipe to my fall lineup and know that I'll be making these again! Unfortunately, we went to two different grocery store chains and neither carried the cookies, so this homemade version will have to do for now until I can make a comparison.

Cookie Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cake flour (I used another cup of all-purpose flour and replaced 2 TBSP of it with 2 TBSP of corn starch)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 or 2 cups of white chocolate chips (optional)

Cookie Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until it is smooth and no lumps remain.  Slowly add sugar, pumpkin, vanilla extract and egg.
 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the combine flours, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.  Allow the dough to cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes. 
 
Scoops the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (I used my imitation Silpat).  If you don't use a medium cookie scoop like I did, measure about two spoonfuls of batter and place onto the cookie sheet.   

Bake for 10-12 minutes and let cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting with glaze.

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 TBSP real maple syrup
• 3-4 TBSP milk (I only used 1 TBSP)

Directions
In a mixer, or using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and milk.  Continue to add milk until you get the desired consistency for glaze.  Drizzle onto the pumpkin cookies.  

Yield: About 18 cookies (I actually got 3 dozen cookies by using a medium cookie scoop)

Source: Sweet Treats and More

Have you heard about Pepperidge Farms' new pumpkin cheesecake cookies? Well, my husband got a word of it and asked if I wanted to buy some during our next trip to the grocery store. I agreed, but of course I was curious and wanted to make my own version.

When I told my husband that I would make him my version of pumpkin cheesecake cookies, he was ecstatic. I found a recipe on Sweet Treats and More and was excited to try it out. Since the Pepperidge Farm version looked like it had white chocolate chips in them, I added some into mine as well.

Holy cow - these were out of this world!  I already love pumpkin, and the cream cheese base in the cookie made it taste like a pumpkin cheesecake. The white chocolate chips added another layer of sweetness, and the maple cream cheese glaze added another layer of flavor. Fall is definitely well represented in these cookies.

I am happy to add another pumpkin cookie recipe to my fall lineup and know that I'll be making these again! Unfortunately, we went to two different grocery store chains and neither carried the cookies, so this homemade version will have to do for now until I can make a comparison.

Cookie Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cake flour (I used another cup of all-purpose flour and replaced 2 TBSP of it with 2 TBSP of corn starch)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 or 2 cups of white chocolate chips (optional)

Cookie Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until it is smooth and no lumps remain.  Slowly add sugar, pumpkin, vanilla extract and egg.
 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the combine flours, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine thoroughly.  Allow the dough to cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes. 
 
Scoops the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (I used my imitation Silpat).  If you don't use a medium cookie scoop like I did, measure about two spoonfuls of batter and place onto the cookie sheet.   

Bake for 10-12 minutes and let cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting with glaze.

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 TBSP real maple syrup
• 3-4 TBSP milk (I only used 1 TBSP)

Directions
In a mixer, or using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and milk.  Continue to add milk until you get the desired consistency for glaze.  Drizzle onto the pumpkin cookies.  

Yield: About 18 cookies (I actually got 3 dozen cookies by using a medium cookie scoop)

Source: Sweet Treats and More