Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed Cookies

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until well combined.

Using a tablespoon or a well-rounded 2 teaspoon scoop, scoop out the cream cheese mixture onto parchment-lined tray. Freeze these mounds for about an hour until they become solid.

On a plate, spread out the canned pumpkin and use a paper towel to blot excess moisture. Repeat this step around 6 times.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter in a large bowl for about 30 seconds. Add in the brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar. Continue beating until combined while occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the pumpkin and remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla into the mixture. Beat until well mixed.

Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture, stirring until combined.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop or rounded measuring tablespoon, portion out the dough into 18 pieces.

Shape each cookie by flattening a portion of dough in your hand into a 2 1/2- to 3-inch circle. Wrap a frozen ball of cream cheese filling inside this dough and roll it back into a ball, ensuring the filling is enclosed.

Roll the formed balls in the sugar and pumpkin pie spice mixture, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until they're set, roughly around 12 minutes. While the first batch is baking, keep the shaped uncooked cookies chilled.

Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks for complete cooling.

Repeat the baking and cooling process with the remaining cookies.