Pumpkin Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles

Among all the holiday desserts and Christmas cookies surrounding us, these pumpkin cream cheese snickerdoodles are a distinct standout.

They are a pumpkin-y spin on the classic snickerdoodle, with a dollop of cream cheese at the center. I mean c'mon, pumpkin and cream cheese, who's not into that? As the cookies bake, they fill the home with pumpkin and spice scents that call forth the joys of wintertime.

For real, these may be in my top 5 cookies of all time. In fact, if you end up making these, may I request that you send a few my way? Thanks.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles

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3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

a pinch of cardamom
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon-sugar coating:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of allspice

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom together. Set aside.

In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Blend in pumpkin puree, beat in egg and then add vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients on low speed just until combined. Cover and chill dough for an hour.

To make the cream cheese filling, blend cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together. Chill for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices for the coating and set aside.

To make the cookies, take a tablespoon of the cookie batter. Flatten it like a pancake and place a teaspoon of the cream cheese in center. Form another tablespoon of the cookie batter into a flat pancake shape and place on top of the cream cheese. Pinch the edges together sealing in the cream cheese and roll into a ball. Roll in the cinnamon sugar coating and place on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Repeat until the dough is gone.

Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Makes about 24 cookies.