Tessa’s Recipe Rundown

Taste: Full of sweet butterscotch and chocolate flavors, sandwiched together a layer of tangy vanilla cheesecake heaven.
Texture: The cookie layers are chewy with a slight crispness on top and a little crunch from the chocolate chips, with a beautifully creamy cheesecake layer in between.
Ease: Involves making a batter + a dough, but each component is simple to make, I promise.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Beginner-friendly recipe that’s perfect for anyone familiar with cookie baking.

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These Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars combine chocolate chip cookie dough with cheesecake, for the perfect two-in-one dessert.

Originally published in 2015, I felt it was high time for a refresh. I revisited the kitchen and meticulously tweaked the recipe to elevate its already delicious flavor into something even better.

I transformed the chocolate chip cookie layer, opting for dark brown sugar instead of light, and adjusting the brown sugar to granulated sugar ratio. These changes not only impart more moisture to the dough but also give the dough an incredible depth of flavor that captivates the senses.

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The cheesecake layer also saw a couple of enhancements – a generous boost of vanilla (because, well, vanilla) and a hint of salt to bring everything together.

The result? A deep, rich, butterscotchy, chewy cookie layer that crisps ever so slightly on top, with a tangy vanilla-scented cheesecake layer that’s velvety smooth. It’s seriously heavenly to eat.

Plus, these bars smell DIVINE while they bake. No candle will ever smell this good!

These bars are the perfect bake if you’re new to cheesecake. No water baths or special pans needed, and even if your cheesecake cracks a little, no one will know because there’s cookie dough on top!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars are the perfect combination of two classic desserts, for a dreamy match made in heaven. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Sprinkle of Science

How to Make Perfect Cheesecake

Be sure to use blocks of full-fat, high-quality cream cheese. I like Philadelphia brand.
Do not use reduced-fat cream cheese, whipped cream cheese, or cream cheese for spreading on a bagel.
Be sure your cream cheese is COMPLETELY softened to room temperature. This may take a few hours, especially if your kitchen is cold.
Beat your cream cheese very well with the sugar, until it looks perfectly smooth and creamy.
Once you add eggs, only beat until combined to prevent sinking or cracking (though the risk of that happening is far smaller with these bars!).
Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as well as your mixer attachment often, to prevent lumps and ensure everything is well incorporated.

For the base layer of cookie dough, simply eyeball (or use a digital kitchen scale to measure, if preferred) two-thirds of the cookie dough and place in the parchment-lined pan. Use a rubber spatula to even it out and cover the base of the pan evenly.

For the top layer, I used a small 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out balls of cookie dough and flatten them between my palms before placing them on top of the cheesecake layer. It doesn’t have to perfectly cover the whole cheesecake layer (coming from a recovering perfectionist)!

Do I Have to Use Dark Brown Sugar?

To make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars extra delicious, we’re using a combination of granulated white sugar and dark brown sugar for a fantastic texture and a butterscotch flavor that’s rich and delicious.
The molasses in the brown sugar draws in more moisture, making the cookie layer thicker, softer, and chewier.
You can use light brown sugar instead, but you will lose some of the additional flavor and texture.
Whatever you do, don’t lower the sugar in this recipe. Find out why sugar is so important in baking here.

If you are not measuring your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale, you could accidentally add too much flour causing hard, dry, or cake-like cookie layers. Learn more about how to measure ingredients for perfect results every time here!

Another reason for hard cookie layers could be overbaking due to using the wrong type of pan. Read more about the pan I recommend for these bars just below.

Use a light-colored metal 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Darker metals can dry out the edges before the middle has a chance to bake through. Do NOT use glass, ceramic, or silicone pans for these bars as they will take much longer to bake, which can result in dry edges and underdone middles. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.

Can I Halve This Recipe?

Yes! Simply halve all ingredients and bake in a light-colored metal 8-inch square baking pan, baking for about 35-40 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Yes, but note that this will soften the cookie layers more. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and store inside an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

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About Tessa

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I’m a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!).