Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
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Get ready to have your taste buds transported to a realm of creamy decadence and chocolatey bliss with my latest concoction: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars! These babies are like a delicious pairing of a classic cheesecake and a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Made with chocolate chip cookie dough, and an easy vanilla cheesecake filling, these chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars are ready to be baked in 10 minutes!
I love a good smash up of a dessert. You know where two genius desserts become one epic one? Like these chocolate chip cheesecake bars – it’s chocolate chip cookies meets cheesecake bars. Because why have just one when you can have both?
Now, let’s dive right into the mouthwatering details of these Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars! A luscious layer of cream cheese filling, with ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie dough on top and bottom. Oh, the joy that awaits!
To bring this recipe to life, you’ll need a few key players. First up, the cream cheese. You want softened cream cheese, and I recommend full fat brick style cream cheese for the best texture. It’s what I use for all my cheesecake recipes – like my Nutella cheesecake bars, my mini key lime cheesecakes, and my lemon cheesecake topped with lemon curd (serious fave – make sure you check that one out).
Next, we have the star of every chocolate lover’s dreams—the chocolate chip cookie dough. I took a cheat this time (forgive me) and used some pre-made chocolate chip cookie mix and stirred in some extra chocolate chips for good measure. It’s what makes this an amazing last minute dessert. But you can by all means make your own chocolate chip cookie dough.
Now, gather your ingredients and let’s get our baking hats on! The aroma of these Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars wafting through your kitchen is worth every ounce of effort. Let’s whip up some magic, one cream cheese-filled, chocolate chip cookie-inspired bite at a time!
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Each recipe comes with detailed, foolproof instructions, essential baking tips, and troubleshooting advice to ensure your cheesecakes turn out rich, creamy, and delicious every time. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a novice, this e-book will help you create perfect, indulgent desserts all year round.
Why You Will Love These Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
- Perfect Make-Ahead Snacks – You can make these cheesecake bars a day before or on the weekends and consume them the next day or throughout the week.
- Absolutely Delicious- The creamy cheesecake layer in the middle adds the most delicious texture to these dessert bars. It’s like eating chocolate chip cookies, but better because of the creamy cheesecake filling!
- Simple And Quick To Make – This Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars recipe only needs 10 minutes of prep time and 35 minutes of baking time!
Ingredients Needed for Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate chip cookie mix: I used Pillsbury. You could also use a sugar cookie mix. I also love making these and make homemade chocolate chip cookie dough! Here is my New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can substitute milk or dark chocolate as well. I add extra chocolate chips to the cookie mix to give it more of that homemade feel! You can use regular chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips.
- Salted butter: If you use unsalted, you can do so without compromising the recipe. You can add a pinch or two of salt for flavor balance.
- Large egg– The egg should be at room temperature.
- Full-fat cream cheese: Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese is best. I don’t recommend the whipped or tub variety, and low-fat cream cheese will not yield as creamy of a cheesecake batter. Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature so it makes for a smooth filling.
- Powdered sugar: Granulated sugar also works as a great replacement; though it is sweeter, you may only need ¼ -⅓ cup. If you have run out, make your own powdered sugar with your food processor.
- Vanilla: You can omit if desired or swap for 1 teaspoon of almond extract or maple syrup.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish.
Preheat the oven to 350oF (180oC) and line a 9×9 inch square baking dish with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray.
Make Crust.
Mix the chocolate chip cookie mix and semi-sweet chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
Gently pour the melted butter and egg and stir until thoroughly mixed. The batter will feel slightly sticky.
Assemble Crust.
Get your spatula wet and separate the dough in half.
Press one-half of your prepared cookie dough into your baking dish in an even layer using your damp spatula. Lightly floured fingers can work for this, also! Set the pan aside for now.
Beat Cream Cheese.
To make the cheesecake filling for the bars, beat one package of softened cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer until light and creamy.
Add Sugar and Vanilla.
Turning your mixer down to a low setting, add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until thoroughly mixed.
Add Egg.
Turn off your mixer, then gently incorporate the egg using your spatula. The cheesecake will initially seem runny; stir until it is smooth and shiny.
Transfer Cheesecake Batter.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared cookie dough layer in the baking dish. Smooth carefully with a spatula to ensure even coverage.
Using the remaining cookie dough, crumble small pieces in your hands and drop gently over the cheesecake layer.
Bake.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the dough is cooked and the edges are golden brown.
Cool and Chill.
Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving. Best eaten when chilled!
Recipe Tips
- Use the correct size baking pan. Ensure that the cookie dough’s bottom layer is thick enough to hold your cheesecake layer. If needed, you can add a little extra dough from your bowl. You can also make it easier to spread the dough by using a greased pan instead of parchment paper, although parchment paper makes it easier to remove. Make sure you use enough cooking spray if you choose that route.
- Mix the cream cheese filing thoroughly. Using your stand or hand mixer to mix the cream cheese and sugar, use a spatula to scrape the sides continually. This will ensure your cheesecake is nice and smooth with no lumps! Using room-temperature cream cheese is also essential; otherwise, you will end up with lumps or an overmixed cheesecake layer.
- Make sure to flour your fingers. When dropping your cookie dough topping, use floured fingers. This will prevent dough from sticking to your hands and make placement easier.
Recipe Variations
- Add coconut to the filling. If you would like to add a bit more flavor to your cream cheese layer, you can add some coconut. Add 1 cup of coconut to the cheesecake mixture.
- Use store bought cookie dough. If you want to make this recipe even easier, you can use pre-made, refrigerated cookie dough.
- Make homemade chocolate chip cookie dough. You can also mix up some cookie dough and use that instead. Try my browned butter chocolate chip cookie recipe for lots of flavor!
- Different flavored chips. Instead of adding sweet or milk chocolate chips, you can add butterscotch or even peanut butter chips to this cheesecake bar recipe.
Recipe FAQs
You should store your chocolate chip cheesecake bars in the refrigerator for up to five days, covered tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum. Allow bars to cool completely before placing them in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them for up to 2-3 months. To freeze, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. When you are ready to eat them, let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
These chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars are done baking when they are lightly golden brown and the center is set. To test if the center is set, using an oven mitt, gently jiggle the tray. If the center moves a lot, the bars need more time. If the center wobbles, but is mostly set, the bars are done. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
You could bake these in an 8×8 pan, but you may need to add on a few additional minutes of baking time, and your bars will come out a bit thicker. Or you could double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 baking pan.
More Cheesecakes To Try!
If you’re craving more cheesecake then be sure to try my homemade lemon cheesecake topped with a fresh lemon curd! Or my Biscoff cheesecake. The cheesecake has a Biscoff cookie crust, and topped with more cookie butter!
Or if you’re looking for another great no bake bar, try my no bake banana pudding cheesecake bar recipe!
And you can’t go wrong with a classic cherry cheesecake with a homemade cherry topping! And if you’re craving more cheesecake bars, be sure to check out my 14 cheesecake bar recipes!
Get My Cheesecake Book!
Don’t forget to grab a copy of my cookbook, Cheesecake For All Seasons! It’s an easy to download digital e-book with over 50 delicious cheesecake recipes, toppings, tips and tutorials for you to master making cheesecake at home!
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Dough:
- 17.5 ounces (1 package) of chocolate chip cookie mix
- ¼ cup (43 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113 g) salted butter melted
- 1 large egg at room temperature
Cheesecake filling:
- 8 ounces (1 package) of full-fat cream cheese softened
- ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper or cooking spray.
- Mix the chocolate chip cookie mix and semi-sweet chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Gently pour the melted butter and egg and stir until thoroughly mixed. The batter will feel slightly sticky.
- Get your spatula wet and separate the dough in half. Press one-half of your prepared cookie dough into your baking dish in an even layer using your damp spatula. Lightly floured fingers can work for this, also! Set the pan aside for now.
- To make the cheesecake filling for the bars, beat one package of softened cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer until light and creamy.
- Turning your mixer down to a low setting, add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until thoroughly mixed.
- Turn off your mixer, then gently incorporate the egg using your spatula. The cheesecake will initially seem runny; stir until it is smooth and shiny.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared cookie dough layer in the baking dish. Smooth carefully with a spatula to ensure even coverage.
- Using the remaining cookie dough, crumble small pieces in your hands and drop gently over the cheesecake layer.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the dough is cooked and the edges are golden brown.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving. Best eaten when chilled!
Notes
- Storage: You should store your chocolate chip cheesecake bars in the refrigerator for up to five days, covered tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum. Allow bars to cool completely before placing them in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: You can also freeze them for up to 2-3 months. To freeze, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. When you are ready to eat them, let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Cookie dough: You can also make homemade chocolate chip cookie dough, or use store bought cookie dough.
- Baking Pan: You could bake these in an 8×8 pan, but you may need to add on a few additional minutes of baking time, and your bars will come out a bit thicker. Or you could double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 baking pan.
