Irresistible Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars: The Ultimate Mashup Dessert Recipe

Indulge in the best of both worlds with these sensational Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars! Imagine the chewy, rich goodness of your favorite chocolate chip cookie bars, perfectly complemented by a luscious, tangy layer of creamy cheesecake nestled right in the center. This dessert mashup isn’t just incredibly delicious; it’s also surprisingly simple to prepare, making it a perfect treat for any occasion. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, these bars promise a delightful experience that will have everyone reaching for a second slice. They offer a harmonious blend of textures and flavors that truly elevate the classic dessert experience.

chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars stacked on a white plate

There’s something truly magical about taking two beloved dessert classics and merging them into one extraordinary creation. These chocolate chip cheesecake bars do exactly that, delivering the familiar comfort of a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie alongside the smooth, decadent richness of a classic cheesecake. Every single bite is a symphony of flavors and textures – from the crisp edges and soft centers of the cookie layers to the cool, tangy creaminess of the cheesecake. What makes this recipe even better is its straightforward approach. You don’t need to be a pastry chef to achieve stunning results, and we’ve even got a clever shortcut for those days when time is of the essence. This dessert is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or simply treating yourself to something truly special.

Why You’ll Adore These Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Effortlessly Easy – Baking doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. This recipe simplifies the process dramatically. While we provide a fantastic homemade cookie dough base, you can opt for store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough to cut down prep time significantly. With this clever shortcut, these delightful bars can be in your oven in as little as 5 minutes, leaving you more time to enjoy life’s sweeter moments. It’s an ideal recipe for busy weeknights or when you need a quick dessert for unexpected guests.
Unforgettably Delicious – It’s a combination that’s impossible to resist: the timeless appeal of a warm, chocolate chip cookie united with the smooth, tangy allure of cheesecake. The contrasting textures and complementary flavors create a dessert that is rich, satisfying, and utterly addictive. The sweetness of the chocolate chips perfectly balances the slight tang of the cream cheese, making each bite a delightful experience that will leave you craving more. This dessert truly offers the best of both worlds.
Perfect for Making Ahead – Like many cheesecake desserts, these bars benefit immensely from chilling time. Preparing them the day before allows the flavors to meld beautifully and the cheesecake layer to set perfectly, resulting in cleaner slices and an even more satisfying texture. This make-ahead advantage is a lifesaver for entertaining, holiday baking, or simply ensuring you have a delectable treat ready to enjoy when the craving strikes. Just pull them from the fridge, let them come to room temperature for optimal creaminess, and serve!

chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars ingredients

Essential Ingredients: What You’ll Need to Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, scroll down to the full printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Unsalted Butter – Using unsalted butter is key in baking as it allows you to control the overall salt content in your recipe, ensuring a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature for optimal creaming.
Granulated Sugar – This provides sweetness and helps create a tender crumb in the cookie layer and a smooth texture in the cheesecake filling.
Brown Sugar – The addition of brown sugar brings a deeper, molasses-rich flavor and contributes to the chewy texture of the chocolate chip cookie base, making it moist and irresistible.
Eggs – Eggs act as a binding agent, providing structure and richness to both the cookie dough and the cheesecake layer, ensuring they set beautifully.
Vanilla Extract – A touch of pure vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors, adding a warm, aromatic note that is essential in both cookies and cheesecake.
All-Purpose Flour – The structural foundation for our cookie layer, all-purpose flour provides the necessary body and texture.
Cornstarch – This secret ingredient in cookie dough helps to create a softer, chewier cookie and prevents them from spreading too much, ensuring a perfect base for our bars.
Baking Soda – A leavening agent that helps the cookie dough rise slightly and achieve that classic cookie texture.
Salt – A pinch of salt is crucial for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the flavors in the cookie dough, preventing it from tasting flat.
Chocolate Chips – The star of the cookie layer! Semi-sweet chocolate chips are a classic choice, melting beautifully and providing pockets of rich, sweet chocolate throughout.
Cream Cheese – The foundation of our creamy cheesecake layer. Ensure it’s full-fat and softened to room temperature for the smoothest, most luxurious consistency.

cookie dough sprinkled ontop of cheesecake mixture in a baking dish

How To Make These Heavenly Cheesecake Bars: A Step-by-Step Guide

Prepare the Cookie Dough Base: Begin by creating your delectable chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light, pale, and fluffy, typically for about 2-3 minutes. This step is crucial for incorporating air and achieving a tender cookie. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until they are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients – flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt – mixing on low speed until they are just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Finally, gently fold in your favorite chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Whip Up the Creamy Cheesecake Layer: In a separate mixing bowl, prepare the irresistible cheesecake filling. Beat together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, a whole large egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture is completely smooth and free of any lumps. I find a hand mixer works wonderfully for this, ensuring a velvety consistency, but a stand mixer can also achieve perfect results. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is thoroughly combined.
Assemble Your Masterpiece: Take your prepared 9-inch square baking pan (lined with parchment paper for easy removal, as detailed in our tips below) and press about two-thirds of your freshly made chocolate chip cookie dough evenly into the base. This forms the delicious foundation of your bars. Carefully pour the smooth cheesecake mixture over the cookie dough layer and spread it out gently with a spatula to create an even, level surface. Then, take small, irregular balls (about 1 teaspoon each) of the remaining cookie dough and artfully drop them over the top of the cheesecake layer. Don’t worry if there are gaps; these will bake into beautiful, rustic cookie pockets.
Bake to Golden Perfection: Place your assembled bars into a preheated oven and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. You’re looking for the cookie portions to turn a beautiful golden brown, and the cheesecake layer should appear set, with a slight jiggle in the very center when gently shaken. A toothpick inserted into the cheesecake should come out mostly clean. Avoid overbaking to maintain the cheesecake’s creamy texture.
Cool and Enjoy: Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. This step is non-negotiable for cheesecake bars, as it allows the layers to firm up and the flavors to fully develop. For the best slicing and serving experience, it’s highly recommended to chill the bars in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours, or even overnight, before cutting into squares.

chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars on a plate

Expert Recipe Tips for Perfect Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

The Importance of Proper Cooling: This might be the most critical tip for any cheesecake-based dessert. While it’s tempting to dive right in, allowing your chocolate chip cheesecake bars to cool completely to room temperature, and then chilling them thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours (preferably longer), is essential. This cooling process allows the cheesecake to fully set, ensuring clean, sharp slices and a firm yet creamy texture that won’t fall apart. Patience truly pays off here!
Effortless Slicing with Parchment Paper: For the easiest removal from the pan and perfectly neat slices, always line your baking pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on two opposite sides; these “handles” will allow you to easily lift the entire slab of cooled bars out of the pan. Once out, you can place them on a cutting board, make your slices, and achieve beautifully uniform squares without any sticking or mess. This simple trick makes cleanup a breeze too!
Customize Your Chocolate Experience: While semi-sweet chocolate chips are a classic and delicious choice, don’t hesitate to get creative with your chocolate! Feel free to mix things up by using milk chocolate chips for a sweeter bar, dark chocolate chips for a more intense cocoa flavor, or even white chocolate chips for a different aesthetic and taste profile. Mini chocolate chips can provide a more even distribution of chocolate, while chocolate chunks can offer delightful pockets of melted richness. You could even add a sprinkle of sea salt on top before baking to enhance the chocolate flavor!
Embrace the Shortcut: Store-Bought Cookie Dough: We all have busy days, and this recipe is designed to be flexible. If you’re short on time, or simply prefer not to bake from scratch, using your favorite store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough is a fantastic and completely acceptable shortcut. The cheesecake layer is so decadent that no one will ever suspect! Just press it into the pan as directed, and proceed with the recipe. This option makes these bars incredibly accessible for bakers of all skill levels.

Storage Guidelines for Your Cheesecake Bars

Due to the creamy cheesecake layer, these chocolate chip cheesecake bars require proper refrigeration to maintain their freshness and food safety. Once completely cooled and sliced, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Properly stored, they will remain delicious for 4-5 days. For the best flavor and texture experience, I highly recommend allowing them to come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before serving. This allows the cheesecake to soften slightly and become wonderfully creamy again.

looking down on a plate of sliced cheesecake cookie bars

Can’t Get Enough Cheesecake? Explore More Delicious Dessert RecipesTo Try!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Praline Cheesecake Bars
Turtle Cheesecake
Double Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins
Cookie Dough Cheesecake
No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

cropped close up chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars

5 from 8 votes

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars

By
Erin Sellin

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars – chocolate chip cookie bars with a layer of cheesecake in the center. So yummy!

Prep:

15 minutes

Cook:

45 minutes

Total:

1 hour

Servings:
24

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Ingredients

Cookie Layer:

▢

3/4
cup
unsalted butter, softened
▢

1
cup
light brown sugar
▢

1/4
cup
granulated sugar
▢

1
whole large egg
▢

1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
▢

2
cups
all-purpose flour
▢

2
teaspoons
cornstarch
▢

1
teaspoon
baking soda
▢

1/2
teaspoon
salt
▢

1 1/2
cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake Layer:

▢

1
8oz package cream cheese, softened
▢

1/2
cup
granulated sugar
▢

1
whole large egg
▢

1
teaspoon
vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a 9-inch square pan parchment paper (or spray with non-stick spray). Set aside.
In a mixer combine butter and both sugars together. Beat until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mix until well combined. Mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
Make the cheesecake layer by beating together the cream cheese and sugar together until fully blended. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
Press about 2/3rds of the cookie dough into the prepared pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over the dough.
Take small balls (about 1 tsp) of the remaining dough and scatter them over the top of cream cheese mixture. You will have holes, and that is perfectly fine.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely before serving.
Store leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

You can use store-bought cookie dough for a short cut.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author:
Erin Sellin

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

45 minutes

Total Time:

1 hour

Course:
Dessert Recipes

Cuisine:
American

Servings:
24

Calories:
309

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