Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Who doesn't love cookie dough and cheesecake? I always used to sneak a little bit of the dough when me and my mom were making chocolate chip cookies together when I was a kid. I used to get cookie dough on my ice cream all the time. Let's just say, I love me some chocolate cookie dough. 

I wanted to make more than one kind of cheesecake bars for Thanksgiving this year and when I saw this recipe I about fell on the floor. I knew I had to try it.

Here Is What You Need: 

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 Tsp unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough:

5 Tsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

10 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Line a 8" square baking pan with parchment paper allowing for a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside

Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to cooling rack but make sure you leave the oven on. 

While the crust is cooling, prepare the cookie dough. In a bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour on low speed and mix until incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. (this mixture will be dry, it is more like a crumble topping)

In a bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, smoothing out to edges. Use your hands to crumble the dough topping in teaspoon size clumps onto the top the filling. Be sure to use all of the dough.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set when given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack. Let cool for an hour then place in refrigerator to cool for a couple hours or overnight to finish setting. 

Once set, remove from pan using edges of parchment paper onto counter. Cut into bars and enjoy!

I doubled the recipe and did in a 9x13 pan and was able to cut into small squares and got about 24 out of it. 

These bars are so good. One of my managers at work described it as heaven, and that is saying alot coming from her. 

I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Well, I'm gonna kick back and listen to my Christmas music. Catch ya later!