This put up might include affiliate hyperlinks. Please learn our privateness coverage.
Elevate your hand if you happen to love cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies! Then these cookie dough cheesecake bars are a dream come true for you. With a buttery graham cracker crust, a layer of dreamy, creamy cheesecake, and chocolate chip cookie dough baked proper into the highest, you’ll completely flip over this dessert!

Typically I sit and ponder scrumptious baked items to make for the weblog and jot them into the notes app on my cellphone. And typically I feel my concepts are totally genius – properly, momentarily genius, that’s.
As quickly as I google my sensible thought, I normally discover that another person had the identical wonderful thought lengthy earlier than I did.
That was the precise situation with these cookie dough cheesecake bars. It’s no surprise somebody got here up with this deliciousness earlier than me!
I imply, are you able to consider a extra wonderful mixture than the love baby of cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies? I feel not!
Now granted, I’ve made loads of cheesecake recipes earlier than. What can I say? I’m an enormous fan! However these cheesecake bars are one thing particular they usually’re undoubtedly completely different from a lot of the different cookie bar recipes you’ll discover on the market.
The buttery graham cracker crust is the proper basis for layers of creamy cheesecake and chewy chocolate chip cookie dough. How might you NOT fall in love with a dessert like this one??

Why I like these cookie dough cheesecake bars
As you’ll be able to see from the layers of taste in these bars, there’s lots occurring right here.
Working from the underside up, we’ve graham cracker crumbs and melted butter for the crust.
This can be a slight variation on the basic graham cracker crust since this one doesn’t have any added sugar in it. It’s a easy piece of this cheesecake bar puzzle to throw collectively and it makes these bars a detailed relative to a full-size cheesecake.
I say this as a result of a number of the different recipes for cookie dough cheesecake bars you see on the market have a base layer of cookie dough. Whereas I’m positive that’s wonderful – I imply, it’s cookie dough! – it doesn’t scream “cheesecake bar” to me, ya know?
Transferring on, the center layer is allll concerning the cheesecake. And I’ve made a basic one right here with cream cheese, sugar, an egg, and vanilla. It’s lots like my vanilla cheesecake actually, however there’s no heavy cream on this filling.
For the cookie dough layer on prime, I made my very own cookie dough to marry with this cheesecake batter.
Sure, there are recipes on the market for bars like these that use pre-made cookie dough. And you may completely go that route for these bars!
However if you happen to’ve been round MBA for lengthy sufficient, you’ll know that I do know my method round a cookie. I might by no means steer you flawed on a cookie dough recipe. So make your personal – it’s straightforward sufficient!
Whenever you get all three layers collectively, you get the slight tanginess from the cheesecake, the gooey chocolate, the buttery graham cracker crust—it’s one decadent chunk.
Serve these cheesecake bars up with a glass of ice-cold milk and like magic, all the things will appear a little bit bit higher!
Okay, so I can’t actually assure these will brighten your temper, however belief me – if there’s a meals that may, it’s these cookie dough cheesecake bars.
And if you happen to’ve obtained cheesecake bar recipes on the thoughts (you’re not alone!), I feel you may additionally actually love blueberry cheesecake bars, oreo cheesecake bars, and pumpkin cheesecake bars.
Don’t make me select which one I like finest!

Learn how to make my cookie dough cheesecake bars
Though it is a multi-step recipe, it’s easy to prep and it’s just about the proper consolation meals.
Substances you’ll want
For the crust, you solely want 2 components:
- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
You possibly can crush your personal graham cracker crumbs utilizing a meals processor, however you may as well purchase containers of graham cracker crumbs. It’s as much as you!
Subsequent up is the chocolate chip cookie dough. For that, you’ll need:
- 8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup packed mild brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoonsalt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips

Ensure you know how you can measure flour earlier than you get began on this. It is going to assist your bars to come back out excellent each time.
I like the richness that brown sugar offers to the cookie dough right here. If you’re out of brown sugar, whip up a fast brown sugar substitute to make use of as a substitute.
In case your brown sugar hardened within the pantry, try my suggestions for softening brown sugar.
This wouldn’t be cookie dough cheesecake and not using a cheesecake filling! For that you’ll want:
- 8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 giant room-temperature egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Utilizing room temperature cream cheese and egg actually does make a distinction within the texture of the ultimate cheesecake layer. In the event you overlook to set yours out, I’ve some suggestions for softening cream cheese and bringing eggs to room temperature rapidly.
Making this recipe
Seize your favourite 9×9-inch baking pan and line it with parchment or foil. Ensure you depart an overhang so you’ll be able to carry the bars out later. Spray with nonstick spray and set the pan apart.

Make the crust by mixing the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press this combination into the underside of the pan and bake at 325°F for six minutes.
Set the crust apart to chill however don’t flip the oven off but.



Now make the cookie dough layer. Utilizing a mixer, cream the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla till properly mixed. Combine within the flower on low pace till simply mixed, then stir within the chocolate chips.

For the cheesecake layer, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar till clean. Add the egg and vanilla till simply mixed.
Pour the cheesecake filling onto the crust.
Use your palms to kind the cookie dough into clumps, then flatten the clumps a bit along with your palms. Place the cookie dough on prime of the cheesecake filling, ensuring to make use of the entire dough.


Bake the bars for half-hour. They’re performed when the highest feels dry and the cookie dough feels agency. All the pan ought to look set if given a delicate shake.
Let the bars cool fully on a rack earlier than chopping and having fun with chilly or at room temperature.

Useful suggestions
- Don’t skip lining the pan with a bit of parchment paper or foil. The liner will provide help to pull the slab of bars out of the pan, which is required with the intention to reduce them neatly.
- Be certain your components are at room temperature. It will assist them to combine correctly into the assorted components of the recipe.
- Seize a 1-cup measuring cup for the crust layer. Use the underside of a 1-cup measuring cup or a large glass to press the graham cracker crumbs into the pan. This trick will make this step a lot sooner and neater than making an attempt to press the crumbs along with your fingers.
- Take your time including the cookie dough layer. Flatten clumps of the dough along with your palms after which lay the items gently onto prime of the cheesecake filling. You gained’t have the ability to unfold the cookie dough on prime. And dropping items of it into the filling will simply make an enormous mess. Take your time right here.
Storage
Assuming there are any of those cookie dough cheesecake bars left after you serve them, you’ll need to maintain the leftovers within the fridge in an hermetic container or on a plate that’s tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.
Within the fridge, the bars will final about 2 days. After 2 days, the crust will begin to soften a bit.

Regularly requested questions
Cheesecake bars don’t want a water tub! Yay!!
I just about use a water tub each time I make a full-size cheesecake, however there’s no want to make use of one while you make cheesecake bars. The reason being that the cheesecake layer is a lot thinner within the bars that it’ll cook dinner faster and extra evenly than the filling in a full-size cheesecake, even and not using a water tub.
You’ll know when these bars are performed when the cookie dough layer is agency to the contact and golden brown. It is going to look identical to baked cookies!
And while you jiggle the pan, the middle of the bars needs to be set with out a lot motion in any respect.
The age-old trick for chopping cheesecake into neat slices is to make use of a sizzling, sharp knife.
Now, as a result of the cheesecake layer in these bars isn’t extraordinarily thick, you shouldn’t have any hassle chopping by way of it neatly however you’ll undoubtedly want a pointy knife to chop by way of the highest cookie layer.
Earlier than you chop the absolutely cooled bars, make sure you pull them out of the pan and place them on a chopping board. Then, utilizing an extended, sharp knife or a chrome steel dough scraper (this works nice!), reduce firmly down from the highest of the bars to the underside in a swift movement.
Attempt to not noticed by way of the bars as a result of that can pull on the cheesecake and cookie layers, making sloppy squares.
Relying on what number of servings you need, you’ll be able to simply reduce these bars into 9 giant or 12 smaller squares.
For the cheesecake filling:
-
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line (1) 9-inch sq. baking pan with parchment paper or foil, permitting a little bit overhang, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Put aside.
-
Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs till completely mixed. Press the combination into the underside of the ready pan. Bake in preheated oven for six minutes. Take away pan to a cooling rack. Don’t flip your oven off.
-
Whereas the crust is cooling, put together the chocolate chip cookie dough. Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a big bowl with an electrical mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla till clean and completely mixed, about 1 minute. Combine within the flour on low pace, and blend till simply integrated. Combine within the chocolate chips. Put aside.
-
Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a big bowl with an electrical mixer cream collectively the cream cheese and sugar till clean. Combine within the egg and vanilla on low pace simply till integrated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the ready crust.
-
Use your hand to kind the cookie dough into clumps, then flatten barely along with your palms. Distribute the cookie dough onto the highest of the cheesecake batter. Be sure you use the entire dough. You’ll cowl a lot of the cheesecake batter.
-
Bake for about half-hour, till the highest feels dry and the cookie dough feels agency and the whole pan appears set if given a delicate shake. Transfer bars to a cooling rack and permit to chill fully.
-
Raise the bars out by the overhang; slice into desired dimension serve chilly or at room temperature.
Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 2 days.
Serving: 1bar, Energy: 373kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 3g, Fats: 24g, Saturated Fats: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 5g, Trans Fats: 0.5g, Ldl cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 233mg, Potassium: 110mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 653IU, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg
Vitamin data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.