I’ve been looking for something different than the usual to give to neighbors and friends this holiday season. I recently found a recipe with two of my favorite things – cookie dough and cheesecake. The recipe was posted on a great food blog – Bake or Break who found the original version in The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook. The bars were sweet and rich to the tenth power. I loved them! But usually with me, the sweeter the better! However, a word of caution, this could send some of you into the “Candy Corn Coma” (the medical term we use to describe what happens when you put my mom in the same room as a bag of candy corn – sugar overload! – it’s never a pretty sight). If you cut this into small squares though, they are the perfect amount of richness and definitely a bit of cookie dough heaven.
Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Crust
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9?-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool
Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
Filling
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.
Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.
For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars. Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.
Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars and serve.
I’ve been looking for something different than the usual to give to neighbors and friends this holiday season. I recently found a recipe with two of my favorite things – cookie dough and cheesecake. The recipe was posted on a great food blog – Bake or Break who found the original version in The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook. The bars were sweet and rich to the tenth power. I loved them! But usually with me, the sweeter the better! However, a word of caution, this could send some of you into the “Candy Corn Coma” (the medical term we use to describe what happens when you put my mom in the same room as a bag of candy corn – sugar overload! – it’s never a pretty sight). If you cut this into small squares though, they are the perfect amount of richness and definitely a bit of cookie dough heaven. 
