Cheesecake bars are one of our most riffed-on dessert ideas (our lemon-blueberry cheesecake bars almost broke the Internet), so we decided to add another one of our favorite dessert upgrades into the mix: edible cookie dough. These bars have a creamy cheesecake filling, with a chocolate chip cookie base and topping. The entire thing is topped with a simple chocolate drizzle, making for an extra-rich yet easy dessert that is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Here’s what you need to know.
How To Make Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
INGREDIENTS
- Unsalted Butter: Like in most baked goods, make sure you’re reaching for unsalted butter here. Salted butter will result in overly salty cookies, and no one wants that.
- Flour: Flour is not only used in our cookies, but is also incorporated into our cheesecake filling! This will help the cheesecake layer stand up with our creamy components.
- Kosher Salt: Don’t stress—kosher salt won’t make this dessert salty, but will balance out all of our other flavors.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is a must in our best-ever chocolate chip cookies. In the cookies, it helps to create crisp edges and a soft and chewy middle. Same principle applies here!
- Brown Sugar: I chose to use dark brown sugar for a richer molasses flavor, but you can use light brown sugar if that’s all you have.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar plays a role in both the cookies and the cheesecake filling. It adds another layer of sweetness in our cookie dough along with the brown sugar, and is our main form of sweetness in the cheesecake bars.
- Eggs: I’m using eggs in the cookie dough as well as the cheesecake filling to help both set up and to add body.
- Vanilla Extract: This will add a lovely vanilla, floral flavor to both our cookies and our filling.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips: Semisweet strikes the perfect balance of sweet but not overly rich. While we use chips and wafers or discs in our best-ever chocolate chip cookies, this recipe is all about ease, so I’m just using chips here.
- Cream Cheese: Of course, it wouldn’t be a cheesecake filling without cream cheese. It’s tangy, it’s sweet, it’s creamy (of course)—it’s a star player here.
- Sour Cream: You might be surprised to see sour cream here, but trust me—it serves a welcome purpose. It not only creates a beautifully soft and creamy texture, but adds an even more subtle tang.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
First, preheat the oven to 350° with a rack in the center. Then butter and line your pan with parchment to prevent any sticking. Whisk your dry ingredients for the cookies in a bowl, then grab a large bowl for a handheld mixer. On medium-high speed, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Be careful not to over-beat the flour—this can make your cookie dough tough. Once combined, add the chocolate chips.
Grab your prepared pan and press around two-thirds of the dough into the bottom in an even layer. I like to add the dough in dollops, then use a spatula to spread it around. Bake until the crust is pale golden and puffed up. It will seem underdone, but that’s what we want—it will continue to bake more once you add the cheesecake filling.
Set the cookie base aside while we work on our cheesecake filling. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, and sour cream with a handheld mixer until smooth. Toss in the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined, then pour the mixture over the cookie dough crust and smooth the top. If the filling has bubbles, gently tap the pan on the counter to bring the air bubbles to the surface.
Bake until the cheesecake top no longer looks wet, and just begins to set. You want the top to be able to hold up the cookie topping, but you don’t want to overbake it, so keep a close eye. Once ready, crumble the remaining cookie dough over the cheesecake filling in pea-sized pieces. Keep on baking until the cheesecake filling is set and the topping is a pale-golden color.
Once removed from the oven, let it cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully set. This should take around 4 hours, but you can let it chill up to overnight. While that’s chilling, melt more chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Lift the cheesecake bars out of the pan, and set on a clean work surface. Using a spoon, drizzle the top with the melted chocolate.
Refrigerate again to set the chocolate. Once firmed, use a serrated knife to slice into bars, then serve!
The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
Recipe Tips
- The best cheesecake filling: For the smoothest and creamiest cheesecake filling, make sure all your ingredients are room temperature so that the ingredients beat together completely.
- Melting the chocolate: Chocolate chips can also be melted in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Start melting on medium heat in 10-second increments until smooth.
- Use the right knife: Because these bars have a cookie crust and cookie topping with a soft cheesecake center, it’s best to use a serrated knife when slicing into bars to prevent the filling from squishing out.
Storage
Store remaining bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
