Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Jump to Recipe

Have you ever made a Cheesecake Cookie Bars? If not, please stop whatever you’re doing, go raid your fridge, and then get down to business. They are the best treats ever.

Cheesecake Cookie Bars from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Layers of homemade cookie dough and cheesecake mixed together results in the most decadent (but easy) Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars! Omg get ready….

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars have been around my house for literally decades!! I can remember the first time one of my aunts made them for us when I was a kid. It was the recipe on the back of the cream cheese box and I just about died. It was heaven. The recipe has gone through a few dozen modifications because nowadays I can ONLY use my most favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe in the whole wide world.  Which makes these bars even better! They the cookie dough gets split in half, layered in the bottom of a baking tin, topped with the cheesecake mixture and then dolloped with more cookie dough. HELLO PERFECTION!

Cheesecake Cookie Bars from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Cheesecake Cookie Bars

5 from 12 votes
The most incredible Cheesecake Cookie Bars on the planet. End of story.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

For the Cookie Layer

  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup Chocolate Chips

For the Cheesecake Layer

  • 8 oz cream cheese room temp
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

For the Cookie Layer

  • Cream together the butter and sugars in a large stand mixer for 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Toss in a handful of the chocolate chips and mix for a quick second. Chill the dough while you make the cheesecake layer

For the Cheesecake Layer

  • Whip together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla for 3 minutes until everything is evenly combined and smooth.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line a 9x13 baking pan with tin foil and spray it with non-stick baking spray.
  • Press 1/2 of the cookie dough mixture into the bottom of the pan to make 1 even layer.
  • Spread the cheesecake mixture on top of the cookie dough.
  • Crumble and sprinkle the remaining cookie dough on top of the cheesecake mixture and then sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips
  • Place it into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the cookie dough is golden brown. The inner part of the dish might look a bit jiggly, but not to fear. Once the Cheesecake Cookie Bars have baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the counter for 30 minutes. Then transfer them to the fridge and cool completely for at least 2 hours. Cut and serve as needed.

Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking

125 Comments

  1. My only question is how in the world do you wait for them to chill for 2 hours??? Don’t think I have it in me to wait. Digging in…

    1. Oh my gosh, I’m wondering the same thing! Mine just came out of the oven and 2 hours to wait might feel like an eternity. Thanks for all your yummy recipes, Gaby! 🙂

  2. These bars are delicious! The recipe is a keeper, and will definitely be on REPEAT! Thanks so much!

  3. Hi Gaby, I love this recipe and have made it multiple times! I’m wondering: do they freeze well?

  4. 5 stars
    These bars are fantastic! I’ve shared them with my co-workers quite a few times over the past few months. This week I made them for a charity bake sale at work and within 30 seconds of dropping them off at the table, the entire 9×13 was purchased! Seriously, so good, but waiting 2.5 hrs for them to cool is not fun!

  5. 5 stars
    These Cheesecake Cookie Bars are SO amazing and SO addicting. I added this to my Christmas baking list this year and I just had to make 2 more batches because my husband and I ate the first one in no time flat. I followed the recipe exactly and they were absolute perfection. These are SO EXTRA you must make them!

  6. I want to make these bars this weekend for a Christmas party. Do you think I can sub the vanilla for peppermint extract for a more holiday flavor or 1/2 peppermint and 1/2 vanilla?

  7. So mine is baking right now hope it comes out okay. Was dough supposed to be sticky? I know what I did wrong with chocolate chips, added all of it in dough instead of a handful ‍♀️.

    1. how did it turn out? Feel free to send me a pic on instagram if you have any questions and we can troubleshoot if needed

    2. It actually came out good, of course better if chocolate chips were on top. Family ate it, so it had to be good. Will definitely try again, Super bowl sunday thanks Gaby!

  8. Delicious! Made a batch of these and they turned out perfect. It was definitely hard to wait the two hours for them to chill, but totally worth it. I froze half the bars… so we would not eat the whole pan in one sitting! Recipe easy to follow – highly recommend!

  9. 5 stars
    These are so good ! I screwed up by putting all chips in the dough and so they could have looked better, but they tasted amazing! Will definitely make again and can’t wait to get new cookbook!

  10. These are great! I made them the other day, ate them all and now I already want to make them again. My husband and I both agreed that they aren’t too sweet which makes them the absolute best treat.

  11. Can I store these in a Tupperware on the counter? Or do they need to be stored in the refrigerated because of the cream cheese?
    By the way they came out delicious!

  12. 5 stars
    Definitely worth waiting for the cooling process to finish. I couldn’t resist the first time around, only made it one hour!!! But they are 10x better when the directions are followed. Thanks for a great recipe !

  13. My friend has made these twice and I’m obsessed! Now, I’m going to attempt to bake some for my dad for Father’s Day! Could I make them today, bake them Saturday, and serve on Sunday or is that a horrible idea?

  14. I love baking these so much. They’ve been such a hit and I’m always asked to ask make them but I’ve had one problem lately and I’m hoping someone can help. Once I take them out, the cookie dough from the bottom layer is sorta ‘bowing’ or coming up on the side to the top layer and idk why. I use a 9×13 pan everytime with foil.

  15. I Would like to half this recipe as I am making it for a small gathering. Would you reduce the cooking time or go with the 40-45 minutes.

    1. you’ll need to adjust the baking vessel is you cut it in half. honestly, I would make the full recipe as is, and then slice 1/2 of it off and wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze for a later date

  16. 5 stars
    These bars turned out AMAZING. Perfectly gooey cookie dough texture and the cheesecake swirl gave a great balance to the sweetness. Took these bars into work and my boss said they were the best thing she’s ever eaten!

    1. omg my bad! yes – def makes a difference. I always bake in metal. Glass does not retain heat as well

    1. metal is the best bet for these. glass doesnt retain heat as well so it would alter the cooking time

  17. Hi Gaby & community! Has anyone tried to double this recipe and use a sheet pan instead of a 9×13? I want to make a large batch and would prefer to use a half sheet tray!

  18. Can’t wait to make these. They sound so yummy. Is it necessary to line the pan with foil? Can I spray the pan with Baker’s Secret?

    1. the foil (or parchment) is great for being able to lift them out and cut them perfectly. but spraying should be fine too

  19. 5 stars
    These are delicious! Made them for the first time today and just had a bite before putting them in my fridge and they taste so good. I’m sure they will be even better post fridge time!

  20. 5 stars
    Amazing cookies, I used half of the ingredients and it came out really good, I think I would make it a little less sweet next time. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!

  21. Thoughts on doubling the recipe to go in a 12×18 sheet pan? Would you not recommend that? I’m hoping to pull a few recipes from your blog to give dessert to a huge crowd. 🙂

    1. I was reading all the older comments and didn’t see one of the newest ones had a similar question! Would you bake it for a lot less time? Are there other sweet pan recipes on your blog you would recommend instead?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating