These Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars have all the best parts of two favorite treats baked into one incredibly crave-worthy bar. Every bite delivers a taste of sweet chocolate, creamy cheesecake, and soft cookie goodness. They always disappear quickly and are perfect for gifting and sharing.
What we love about these Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
The last time I made these bars, I hid them in the back of the freezer to save, and my kids still found them and demolished them. They are sooo good. They really are an amazing combination of two favorite treats, and the flavor and texture are irresistible. Every bite is chocolate, creamy cheesecake, and soft, chewy cookie yumminess. I have made these to share several times for different events, and they are the first to go.
They come together really quickly. You make the dough, pat half of it in the pan, mix together the cream cheese mixture, pour it in, and top with the remainder of the cookie dough. I love making bars because you don’t have to keep going back to the oven as you do with cookies. They bake in 30-35 minutes, and then need a few hours to chill before slicing and serving.
Looking for other recipes with chocolate chips? Try our delicious Chocolate Chip White Chocolate Cookies, our Valentine Chocolate Chip Cookies, our Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies, or our Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies. Both of the holiday cookies can use different colored M&Ms for the season.
What you need to make these Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
You will need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Chocolate chips
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Sour Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookie and Cheesecake Bars Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You could substitute chocolate chunks for the chocolate chips. Either milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips taste great with these bars; we have used both.
- You can substitute the granulated sugar for powdered sugar with the cream cheese mixture, but I would add a little cornstarch or flour to it (a teaspoon or two)
- You could add 1/2-1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, or other nuts if you would like to add nuts to the cookie dough.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
Step 2. Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared 9×13 pan in an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips over the cookie dough and spread evenly. Slightly press the chocolate chips into the dough. Mix in the other cup of chocolate chips with the remainder of the cookie dough and set aside.
Step 3. To make the cheesecake layer, using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese until smooth. Beat the powdered sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and egg with the cream cheese.
Step 4. Spread the cheesecake layer evenly over the chocolate chip cookie dough in the 9×13 pan. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough over the cheesecake layer so that the cookie dough covers most of the cheesecake layer. I flatten the dough a little with my hands before placing it in the pan.
Step 5. Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes, the cookies on top will be lightly brown, and the cheesecake will look set. Cool completely on a cooling rack to room temperature before covering to refrigerate. Chill for 3 hours or more before slicing to serve. Cut the bars into 24 pieces and serve cold or at room temperature. Store covered in an airtight container in the fridge.
Tips
- I recommend keeping parchment paper on hand; it is especially helpful when baking bars. Lining your pan with parchment paper makes it a sort of sling to help get the bars out of the pan for even slicing. It prevents the bars from sticking to the pan, and pans are much easier to clean up. Also, the parchment paper creates a thin layer between the bars and the pan, which helps promote even browning and prevents hot spots on your pan that may cause the bars to burn.
- Also, I love my USA 9×13 Baking Pan; it cooks so evenly, is high quality, and long-lasting. I particularly love the straight-edged corners when cooking dessert bars for uniform pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can the Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars be made in advance? |
| Yes, these bars are easily made in advance before serving. They can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. The cookies may soften a little over time, but they will still taste good. You can also freeze them and let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. They can be frozen for 1-2 months. |
| How do I store Chesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars? |
| a. Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. I use a Tupperware container and use parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking, so they don’t stick together. Due to the cheesecake filling, you can store cookies for up to 3-4 days in the fridge, and in the freezer for 1-2 months. |
Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars have all the best parts of two favorite treats baked into one incredibly crave-worthy bar. Every bite delivers a taste of sweet chocolate, creamy cheesecake, and soft cookie goodness. They always disappear quickly and are perfect for gifting and sharing.
24
bars25
minutes35
minutes1
hourIngredients
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
2 1/2 cups 2 1/2 all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 1 baking soda
3/4 teaspoon 3/4 salt
3/4 cup 3/4 granulated sugar
3/4 cup 3/4 brown sugar, packed
1 cup 1 butter (2 sticks), softened
1 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 vanilla
2 cups 2 chocolate chips, divided (See note after recipe)
Cheesecake Layer
1 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup 1/3 powdered sugar
1/4 cup 1/4 sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 vanilla
1 1 egg
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the mixture to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared 9×13 pan in an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips over the cookie dough and spread evenly. Slightly press the chocolate chips into the dough. Mix in the other cup of chocolate chips with the remainder of the cookie dough and set aside.
- To make the cheesecake layer, using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese until smooth. Beat the powdered sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and egg with the cream cheese. Spread the cheesecake layer evenly over the chocolate chip cookie dough in the 9×13 pan.
- Drop spoonfuls of the remaining cookie dough over the cheesecake layer so that the cookie dough covers most of the cheesecake layer. I flatten the dough a little with my hands before placing it in the pan.
- Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes, the cookies on top will be lightly brown, and the cheesecake will look set. Cool completely on a cooling rack to room temperature before covering to refrigerate. Chill for 3 hours or more before slicing to serve.
- Cut the bars into 24 pieces and serve cold or at room temperature. Store covered in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- We have used both semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips with these. The milk chocolate chips make a sweeter bar. Both are great!
I made this Cheesecake Chocolate Cookie Bars last night and they turned out amazing! Its a huge HIT with my family! Thank you so much!