Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Raise your hand if you 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 right into the top, you’ll totally flip over this dessert!

Sometimes I sit and ponder delicious baked goods to make for the blog and jot them into the notes app on my phone. And sometimes I think my ideas are utterly genius – well, momentarily genius, that is.

As soon as I google my brilliant idea, I usually find that someone else had the same amazing idea long before I did.

That was the exact scenario with these cookie dough cheesecake bars. It’s no wonder someone came up with this deliciousness before me!

I mean, can you think of a more amazing combination than the love child of cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies? I think not!

Now granted, I’ve made plenty of cheesecake recipes before. What can I say? I’m a big fan! But these cheesecake bars are something special and they’re definitely different from most of the other cookie bar recipes you’ll find out there.

The buttery graham cracker crust is the perfect foundation for layers of creamy cheesecake and chewy chocolate chip cookie dough. How could you NOT fall in love with a dessert like this one??

Why I love these cookie dough cheesecake bars

As you can see from the layers of flavor in these bars, there’s a lot going on here.

Working from the bottom up, we’ve graham cracker crumbs and melted butter for the crust.

This is a slight variation on the classic graham cracker crust since this one doesn’t have any added sugar in it. It’s a simple piece of this cheesecake bar puzzle to throw together and it makes these bars a close relative to a full-size cheesecake.

I say this because some of the other recipes for cookie dough cheesecake bars you see out there have a base layer of cookie dough. While I’m sure that’s amazing – I mean, it’s cookie dough! – it doesn’t scream “cheesecake bar” to me, ya know?

Moving on, the middle layer is allll about the cheesecake. And I’ve made a classic one here with cream cheese, sugar, an egg, and vanilla. It’s a lot like my vanilla cheesecake in fact, but there’s no heavy cream in this filling.

For the cookie dough layer on top, I made my own cookie dough to marry with this cheesecake batter. 

Yes, there are recipes out there for bars like these that use pre-made cookie dough. And you could totally go that route for these bars!

But if you’ve been around MBA for long enough, you’ll know that I know my way around a cookie. I would never steer you wrong on a cookie dough recipe. So make your own – it’s easy enough!

When you get all three layers together, you get the slight tanginess from the cheesecake, the gooey chocolate, the buttery graham cracker crust—it’s one decadent bite.

Serve these cheesecake bars up with a glass of ice-cold milk and like magic, everything will seem a little bit better! 

Okay, so I can’t really guarantee these will brighten your mood, but trust me – if there’s a food that can, it’s these cookie dough cheesecake bars.

And if you’ve got cheesecake bar recipes on the mind (you’re not alone!), I think you might also really love blueberry cheesecake bars, oreo cheesecake bars, and pumpkin cheesecake bars.

Don’t make me choose which one I like best!

How to make my cookie dough cheesecake bars

Even though this is a multi-step recipe, it’s simple to prep and it’s pretty much the perfect comfort food.

Ingredients you’ll need

For the crust, you only need 2 ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

You can crush your own graham cracker crumbs using a food processor, but you can also buy boxes of graham cracker crumbs. It’s up to you!

Next up is the chocolate chip cookie dough. For that, you will need:

• 8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
•  ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
•  ¼ teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Make sure you know how to measure flour before you get started on this. It will help your bars to come out perfect every time.

I love the richness that brown sugar gives to the cookie dough here. If you are out of brown sugar, whip up a quick brown sugar substitute to use instead.

If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, check out my tips for softening brown sugar.

This wouldn’t be cookie dough cheesecake without a cheesecake filling! For that you will need:

• 8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large room-temperature egg 
•  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Using room temperature cream cheese and egg really does make a difference in the texture of the final cheesecake layer. If you forget to set yours out, I have some tips for softening cream cheese and bringing eggs to room temperature quickly.

Making this recipe

Grab your favorite 9×9-inch baking pan and line it with parchment or foil. Make sure you leave an overhang so you can lift the bars out later. Spray with nonstick spray and set the pan aside.

Make the crust by mixing the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press this mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake at 325°F for 6 minutes. 

Set the crust aside to cool but don’t turn the oven off yet.

Now make the cookie dough layer. Using a mixer, cream the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the flower on low speed until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips. 

For the cheesecake layer, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla until just combined.

Pour the cheesecake filling onto the crust. 

Use your hands to form the cookie dough into clumps, then flatten the clumps a bit with your palms. Place the cookie dough on top of the cheesecake filling, making sure to use all of the dough.

Bake the bars for 30 minutes. They are done when the top feels dry and the cookie dough feels firm. The entire pan should look set if given a gentle shake.

Let the bars cool completely on a rack before cutting and enjoying cold or at room temperature.

Storage

Assuming there are any of these cookie dough cheesecake bars left after you serve them, you’ll want to keep the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or on a plate that is tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.

In the fridge, the bars will last about 2 days. After 2 days, the crust will start to soften a bit.

Frequently asked questions