Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

First, make cheesecake filling. Add room temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on high until fully creamy.

Scoop out ½ inch balls of cheesecake filling. Make 12 small balls. Place on parchment lined pan. Place pan in freezer for 30 minutes.

Then, make pumpkin cookie dough. Add cold butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to a clean bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until no clumps of butter remain.

Add in pumpkin purée, egg and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.

Add in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and sea salt. Stir until a thick dough is formed.

Place bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

After 30 minutes, remove cookie dough from fridge and remove cheesecake balls from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Scoop out ball of cookie dough. Place on lined pan. Flatten with hands.

Then, place a frozen cheesecake ball in the center of the cookie dough. Place another flattened ball of cookie dough on top of cheesecake.

Then, use hands to fully enclose the cheesecake ball with cookie dough. Continue for remaining dough, baking the cookies in 2 batches.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies look set in the middle.

Finally, remove from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 15 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack.