Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

You must get into the kitchen right now and make these. Seriously. I think I ate at least half of this whole pan of chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars myself. That's how good they are. Two of my favorite things, cookie dough and cheesecake, combined together - amazing. And the cookie dough doesn't have any raw egg in it so no need to worry about salmonella. Of course, I never really worried about salmonella.... oops. As a kid (and even now) my favorite part of baking anything was tasting the raw dough or batter - especially chocolate chip cookie dough.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

for the crust...

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons butter, melted

for the cookie dough...
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup chocolate chips

for the cheesecake layer...

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper or foil, allowing some overhang. Spray it with non-stick cooking spray.

make the crust...
Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in a medium bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 6 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove from oven and cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

make the cookie dough topping...

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the flour at low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set the mixture aside.

make the cheesecake batter...
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed until just incorporated.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Use your hands to carefully flatten tablespoon-sized pieces of the cookie dough and carefully place on top of the cheesecake batter until the batter is mostly covered. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate for a few hours.

When chilled, carefully lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper or foil overhang. Place on a large cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into squares, wiping the knife off with the wet cloth between cuts.

Enjoy!

inspired by pinterest.com