Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

After my love for God, my husband and four kiddos, this desert combines my next three loves and absolute favorites of chocolate, cookie dough and cheesecake. Oh my! The taste of all three combined into one amazing desert sky-rocketed me into heavenly bliss. It took most of my willpower to take this with us to a friends' house to share with them at a get together. But because I don't need my backside or thighs to develop into one big, ball of cookie dough...I behaved myself and shared. Everyone raved about the richness and deliciousness of this desert and gobbled most of it up. I did allow myself a little piece and savored every last bite. Mmmmmm!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Crust
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbs. butter, melted
2/3 c miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9" square baking pan (I used a 9" springform pan). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Lightly coat the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough
5 Tbs. butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I followed the advise of My Kitchen Cafe and reduced the flour by 1/8th of a cup from the 3/4 and found the dough to be very workable)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Using 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 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

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 30-35 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. (Tip: put the chocolate chips into a zipper bag and heat on 50% power for a few minutes. Cut the corner off the bag and squeeze the bag to make drizzling less messy.) Use a teaspoon to drizzle chocolate over top of bars. cool bars in pan completely, about an hour. (Stick the bars in the freezer for 5 minutes to set quickly if you're in a hurry).

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars (clean the knife after each cut) and serve.

Source: adapted from My Kitchen Cafe