I found my recipe for this decadent dessert over at Brandy’s Baking. I did change mine just a bit from her original recipe (I add more butter to the crust), so here is my adaptation.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

Graham Cracker Crust ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (this equals one package of crackers)
• 6 to 7 tablespoons of unsalted sweet cream butter

Preheat oven to 325°

If you can find pre-crumbed graham crackers, use those. I had to do it old school and make my own crumbs. To do this, I just place a few crackers in a Ziploc baggie and rolled the crap out of them with my rolling-pin. While you’re doing that, go ahead and melt your butter in a microwave safe bowl. Once you do all that, mix the crumbs and melted butter together until combined.

Next grab a 8 x 8 baking dishes and line it with either foil (what I used) or parchment paper, making sure to have an overhang on at least both ends of the pan, and spray with non-stick spray (I like to use Pam for Baking spray). Then, using your hands, press the graham cracker crust mix in to the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Don’t worry if you don’t have enough to go all the way up the sides of the pan, that’s where the overhang comes into play.

Next, pop the crust into the oven for about 6 minutes to bake. I just used my kitchen timer, so I didn’t have to worry about my oven shutting off and having to restart it.

While the crust is baking and then cooling, you can prepare your cookie dough.

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted sweet cream butter, room temperature
• 1/3 a cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup chocolate chip 

In a large bowl, mix the butter, both sugars, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Then mix in the flour until just incorporated (meaning-until you can’t tell there is a bunch of flour in the bowl). It will look very crumbly, but if you pinch it together it will form a clump. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set “dough” mixture aside.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

• 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl (I just rinsed out and reused the one I made the crust in, saves on dishes), cream (or blend) together the sugar and the cream cheese until totally combined. Next add in the vanilla and the egg, mixing until throughly combined.

Now it all comes together!

Pour cheesecake batter into your cooled crust, spreading to make sure it’s evenly distributed. Now using your hand, make small clumps/crumbles of the cookie dough mixture and spread it out across the top of the cheesecake. Make sure you use all the cookie dough, and that you cover the batter pretty much completely.

Bake in your 325° oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the pan looks set when given a gentle shake (ie-it won’t jiggle like jello) and your cookie top if dry-looking. It took mine 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before allowing to chill in the refrigeration for a couple of hours, or overnight if you have time.

*Leave the bars in the pan for all the above steps!*

To remove from the pan, simply lift out by your foil/parchment paper overhang and then slice and enjoy!

*Don’t eat the foil/paper-throw that away!