In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat softened butter & sugar until light & fluffy, approx. 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk & vanilla. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mix on low speed until a thick, sticky dough forms.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces & chill for at least 2 hours.
Filling
In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, spices & vanilla. Beat until smooth & creamy. Set aside but do not refrigerate.
Assembly
Once dough has chilled, roll out one piece of dough at a time between 2 large pieces of parchment paper about 1/4 inch thickness. Divide filling mixture between the two rolled out pieces of dough.. Using the parchment paper, roll each tightly into a log. Cover with plastic wrap & place in freezer overnight.
Baking
Remove dough from freezer & allow to sit at room temperature only long enough so you can slice it as this is a very soft dough.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice logs (I like to use floss for slicing to make a clean cut) into 1/4″-1/2″ thick cookies. Sprinkle with pepita seeds. Arrange on cookie sheets & bake for 10-12 minutes.
Allow to cool for 2-5 minutes on the pan then remove them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
These are a soft cookie & are best eaten within a few days. We enjoyed them so much that wasn’t a problem!