Pumpkin pie cookies are deliciously soft and buttery sugar cookie cups filled with a classic pumpkin pie filling. This recipe for pumpkin pie cookies is easy to make, requires no chilling time and makes pie cookies in about 30 minutes. These mini pumpkin cookies are a fun twist on the classic pumpkin pie dessert everyone will love.
Jump to:
Why Should You Make This Recipe
As soon as Autumn starts, it’s time to enjoy all my favorite pumpkin recipes from the blog. My Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting, Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Donuts and Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are just a few I love the most. I am so excited to add these adore and easy pumpkin pie filling cookies to the mix. I know you’ll love them too it because:
- They are quick, easy and no chill. All you need to do is prep the ingredients, make the sugar cookie dough, par-bake the sugar cookie cups, make the pumpkin pie filling, fill the spiced cookie cups and bake again! In less than 30 minutes you have the most adorable pumpkin pie inspired cookies.
- You love a twist on a classic pumpkin dessert. These pumpkin cookies with pie filling replaces a buttery pie crust with a soft and buttery sugar cookie base and fills the cookie cups with a more traditional pumpkin pie filling. The end result are cookies that look like mini pumpkin pies and taste just like a classic pumpkin pie. Make sure to check out my Pecan Pie Cookies for another delish twist on a classic pie.
Ingredients
These soft pumpkin cookies require only a handful of pantry basics to make. Here’s what you’ll need to make them.
Sugar Cookie Base
Gather all purpose flour, salt, butter, granulated sugar, an egg yolk and vanilla extract.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Gather cream cheese, canned pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these soft and buttery pumpkin puree cookies.
- All Purpose Flour: Make these soft pumpkin snickerdoodles gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure by weight versus cups.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt. Feel free to use a plant based or vegan butter if needed.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars such as maple or coconut. However, maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar and would make a good substitute for granulated sugar to make this recipe refined sugar free.
- Egg Yolk: The addition of an egg yolk in the sugar cookie dough gives the dough a richer, chewier texture. Feel free to omit.
- Vanilla Extract: Adding vanilla to any cookie instantly makes it taste more complex and flavorful. Omit if you don’t have this already.
- Cream Cheese: The cream cheese replaces the need for an egg in the pumpkin pie filling. Mascarpone cheese would be the easiest substitute for cream cheese.
- Canned Pumpkin Puree: You can use the same amount of fresh pumpkin puree if you have some on hand. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. I personally love using Libby’s.
- Ground Cinnamon: I love using ground cinnamon as a nod to the classic pumpkin pie flavor pairing. Feel free to substitute with pumpkin spice, apple pie spice or chai spice blends.
How To Make
Learn how to make pumpkin pie cookies in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease a 12 ct. muffin pan. Cut strips of parchment paper long enough to lay across the bottom of the muffin cup with some excess parchment coming out of the cup and up onto the sides. These mini “slings” will help the cookie cup come out of the pan more easily.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, cream the room temperature butter and sugar until light, fluffy and well combined. This takes about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined.
3. Using a large cookie scoop, transfer about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of sugar cookie dough into each of the prepared muffins cups. Press the dough into the bottom of the cup and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes. While the cookies bake, make the pumpkin pie filling. After 10 minutes, remove the muffin pan from the oven. Using a teaspoon, reform the cookie cups by pressing the sides and bottom back into place.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk cream cheese, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract on low until smooth and well combined.
- Transfer about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pumpkin pie filling into the par-baked cookies. I like to use a small cookie scoop to make this even quicker and easier. Bake an additional 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown and the pumpkin pie filling it set.
- Cool the pumpkin pie filling cookies in the muffin pan for 30 minutes. Using the excess parchment paper, gently lift each mini pumpkin pie cookie cup out of the muffin tin. Cool an additional 30 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to the fridge to set or enjoy at room temperature.
How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store
- Make Ahead: Although these cookies with pumpkin pie filling comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe directions up to baking the pumpkin pie cookie cups. Store the dough in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 1 week. Thaw to room temperature before using.
- Freeze and Thaw: Place the baked and cooled pumpkin pie filled cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet, or large plate. Flash freeze the cookies until frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer, wrap each one in plastic wrap and place the frozen pumpkin cookies into a ziplock bag. These spiced pumpkin mix cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw Cookie Dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookies into an airtight container. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature or enjoy straight from the fridge (my favorite way!).
- Store Baked Pumpkin Pie Cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. For longer storage, freeze the cookies.
M's Expert Tips
- Grease and line the muffin cups. Grease a non stick muffin pan to prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan. Line the muffin cups with a strip of parchment paper to help lift the pumpkin pie sugar cookie cups out of the pan more easily.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature at the same time: The cookie dough crust and the pumpkin pie filling need to be made around the same time. Make sure to pull out all the ingredients around the same time. Depending on the temperature of my kitchen, I set out my ingredients about 1 hour before baking.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Fully cool the cookies. It’s important to let the cookies with pumpkin pie filling cool in the pan for 30 minutes. This allows the cookie crust to fully set and harden enough to lift out of the pan. The cookies may still need more time to fully cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge.
- Have fun with the toppings. I love a lightly sweetened whipped cream on top of my pumpkin pie so that’s what I topped my cookies with. Feel free to use any toppings you love.
FAQs
Canned pumpkin pie filling contains sugar and spices needed to make a pumpkin pie whereas pumpkin puree is just pureed pumpkin. For these pumpkin pie cookies, use pumpkin puree.
The idea of using a sugar cookie base or crust with pumpkin pie filling is the same as Crumbl pumpkin pie cookies. However, this recipe for pumpkin pie cookies uses sugar cookies as a crust or cookie cup rather than a giant cookie.
Other Pumpkin Recipes To Try
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Pumpkin Gingersnap Icebox Cake
- Pumpkin Tiramisu
If you try this Pumpkin Pie Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Pumpkin Pie Cookies
Equipment
- 1 muffin pan (12 ct.)
- 12 strips parchment paper
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 whisk or spoon for mixing
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml) optional
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml) optional
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 4 oz. (113 g) cream cheese
- ½ cup (118 ml) canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease a 12 ct. muffin pan. Cut strips of parchment paper long enough to lay across the bottom of the muffin cup with some excess parchment coming out of the cup and up onto the sides. These mini “slings” will help the cookie cup come out of the pan more easily.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters, cream the room temperature butter and sugar until light, fluffy and well combined. This takes about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined.1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, 1 large egg yolk (US), room temperature, 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- Using a large cookie scoop, transfer about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of sugar cookie dough into each of the prepared muffins cups. Press the dough into the bottom of the cup and up the sides.
- Bake for 10 minutes. While the cookies bake, make the pumpkin pie filling. After 10 minutes, remove the muffin pan from the oven. Using a teaspoon, reform the cookie cups by pressing the sides and bottom back into place.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk cream cheese, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract on low until smooth and well combined.4 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, ½ cup (118 ml) canned pumpkin puree, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- Transfer about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pumpkin pie filling into the par-baked cookies. I like to use a small cookie scoop to make this even quicker and easier. Bake an additional 10 - 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown and the pumpkin pie filling it set.
- Cool the pumpkin pie filling cookies in the muffin pan for 30 minutes. Using the excess parchment paper, gently lift each mini pumpkin pie cookie cup out of the muffin tin. Cool an additional 30 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to the fridge to set or enjoy at room temperature.
Leave a Reply