Recipe Monday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

If that's not a mouth full, I don't know what is! This was my first time to try these although I've been drooling over them on pinterest for months... I must admit upfront that they weren't as spectacular as I had expected, but they were still pretty darn good! They weren't too difficult to make and they only required a moderate amount of ingredients, all of which I already... Winning! Make sure you cool them off really good in the refrigerator because they are extra delicious chilled!

What you're going to need:
CRUST:
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
5 T unsalted butter, melted

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH:
5 T unsalted butter, room temp
1/3 C packed light brown sugar
3 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 C flour
2/3 C chocolate chips

CHEESECAKE FILLING:
10 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/4 C sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


What you are going to do:

(1) Preheat oven to 325. Line an 9" square baking pan with wax paper and spray with Pam. (Make sure you've got a little wax paper hanging over so you can pull it out easily when you're done)

(2) Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Let cool.

(3) Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and completely combined (it should look like the start of delicious cookie dough). See NOTE at the end of this post where I rave all about the KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater shown in the pic. 

Add the flour and mix at a low speed so you don't cover your kitchen in white powder. Be careful not to over mix or it will get too crumbly (I know this because I did this and had to start step 3 over, oops). Finally, mix in the chocolate chips with a spatula or spoon and then set aside.

(4) In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix on a low speed until just incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter onto the graham cracker crust.

(5) Using your hands, form the cookie dough into small clumps and then kind of flatten them out... cover the cheesecake batter with the dough.

(6) After completely covering the cheesecake with the cookie dough, stick it in the oven for 30 minutes, until the dough is firm and dry to the touch. Also, give the whole pan a little shake and make sure it seems set. Allow the entire pan to cool completely.

(7)Once your pan is completely cool, stick it in the refrigerator overnight or at least for a few hours. The bars are best served chilled (and with just a little chocolate syrup drizzled on top!). Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares! Tada!

**NOTE: Unfortunately KitchenAid isn't paying me to give them a little love, but I will anyway. If you are blessed with a free standing mixer, you MUST get the Flex Edge Beater. I did a quick search online and it looks like Bed, Bath & Beyond's price of $30 is right on. The joy of the flex edge is that it scrapes the side of the bowl as it beats so that you don't have to stop it and wipe down the sides over and over. It's worth every dime, just make sure you purchase the correct size for your mixer! (Got that Ash?)

Hope you guys enjoy this tasty little treat!

Be Blessed,
Raegan