A bite-sized twist on a classic holiday dessert. These pumpkin cheesecake cookies are 100% vegan, gluten-free and refined-sugar-free!
Inspiration
I recently made a full-on pumpkin “cheesecake” with these same ingredients but came to realize that my favorite part of the whole experience was the crust, therefore, I wanted to create a similar idea that was crust-heavy and bite size. Plus, I truly believe everything tastes better in bite-size form.
These cookies are:
Naturally sweet
Fun to eat
Creamy
Rich
Satisfying
What you’ll need:
Dates: for a sweet cookie crust and to help the ingredients stick together.
Pecans: for a crunch and added richness.
Oat flour: To add texture. Feel free to swap this for any other gluten-free flour.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: for that enhanced pumpkin flavor!
Cinnamon: for an additional layer of warming spice.
Salt: to balance the sweetness of the dates.
Vanilla extract: for extra flavor.
Cashews: for creaminess! Make sure to soak or boil them first.
Lemon juice: for that slight zing that’s present in all cheesecakes.
Maple Syrup: for extra sweetness and smooth consistency.
How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies:
Make the cookie crust
Start off by adding the dates, pecans, oat flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla to a food processor. Blend until it creates an even mixture.
Roll the mixture into balls that contain approximately 2 tablespoons worth of the mixture. You should end up with about 9 balls. Flatten the balls out and then create a small divet or dent in the center. This is where you’ll be filling it with the cashew cream! Make sure to leave a little room so the cookie underneath is visible.
Make the cashew cream
Whip out the food processor once again and add the cashews, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla. Blend until smooth, adding water or plant-based milk as needed to help it blend more easily.
Fill the cookies with the cream
Place the cashew cream into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the end snipped off and fill those cookies up until all of the filling has been used up. Feel free to sprinkle them with extra cinnamon if you’d like!
Chill slightly before eating & enjoy!
Storing
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the free for up to three months. If freezing, defrost in the refrigerator until the cashew cream has softened.
Check out this video!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
- Food Processor of Blender
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- salt
Cream Filling
- 1 cup soaked cashews*
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Create the cookie base
- Add all of the cookie base ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until creates an even mixture.
- Create balls made of approximately 2 tbsp of the mixture.
- Flatten the balls into disks and create a small divet or dent in the center.
- Chill the cookies for a couple of minutes while you make the filling.
Create the cream filling and add it to the cookies
- Add all of the cream filling ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add water and milk as necessary to help with blending.
- Place the filling in a piping bag or zip lock bag with the corner snipped off.
- Fill the cookies with the cream filling until there is no filling left.
- Enjoy!
Notes
