I love these Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars. They're a simple, rich and creamy cheesecake layered on a delicious chocolate chip cookie crust. It's an irresistible two-layer dessert that's easy to make and perfect for sharing with family and friends.
I created this recipe for my sister's birthday. We often celebrate together over a Zoom chat; I have Brownie Cheesecake in New Jersey while she has different cheesecake in Texas. In 2022, she wanted something different - a cookie cake with cream cheese frosting. Since I'm not a frosting person, I improvised and baked cheesecake bars with a chocolate chip cookie crust. It was the perfect mash-up!
We loved them so much I made a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars almost every week afterward, and we didn't tire of them. They're still a crowd-pleaser; when I made them for a Labor Day party, these bars disappeared in no time!
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Tips for Creamy, Crack-Free Cheesecake
- Fully soften and beat the cream cheese.
- Add eggs one-by-one, mixing thoroughly but not too much.
- Don't bake too hot.
- Don't overbake!
Ingredients You'll Need
You'll need ingredients for chocolate chip cookie dough, and for cheesecake. If you bake, you'll likely already have most, if not all, of the ingredients you need.
First, you make a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe [that I've adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook (affiliate link)]. If you want to go even easier, you can use premade chocolate chip cookie dough instead; 16.5 ounces should be enough, but your crust may be thinner than mine.
I use unsalted butter; if you use salted butter, omit the salt. Be sure the butter is at room temperature. I don't recommend using margarine as it bakes differently.
Brown sugar gives chocolate chip cookies extra flavor and chewiness. Both light and dark brown sugars will be fine.
Chocolate Chips can be store brand or name brand. Miniature chocolate chips for the top are optional but recommended; large ones on top are fine, but contrast more starkly with the cheesecake.
Cream Cheese should be full-fat for best results. I've used lower fat Neufchatel cheese in cheesecakes before, but not recently and never in this.
Important: Your cream cheese must be at room temperature before you start, or the cheesecake layer will be lumpy. You can speed up softening butter in the microwave, but it doesn't work as well for cream cheese. Pull it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before starting.
Recommended Equipment
I strongly recommend you use an electric mixer. I tend to use my Kitchenaid stand mixer (affiliate link) for this, but a hand mixer (affiliate link) will also work fine. It is difficult to beat cream cheese properly by hand for cheesecake batter.
These bake in a 9x13-inch pan (affiliate link). I like my natural aluminum because it bakes evenly. You can grease it, but I recommend parchment paper if you want to pull them out of the pan to cut them, or if you have a darker, nonstick pan.
A bench scraper (affiliate link) cuts through the bars and crust very evenly, without sawing. You won't get pretty, straight lines using it, but I personally like the more natural look.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars - Step-by-Step
First you'll make a chocolate chip cookie dough, and then you'll make the cheesecake batter. Use an electric mixer. There's no need to wash the bowl or beaters in between!
Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Start by making the chocolate chip cookie dough!
Cream softened butter with the granulated and brown sugars.
Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt on low until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips on low. If you're using a hand mixer (affiliate link), use a rubber spatula for this step.
Scrape the cookie dough into a parchment-lined or greased 9x13-inch pan (affiliate link). Pat dough about 1 inch up the pan.
Bake for 5 minutes while making the filling. The edges will slump down, and this is okay. Let it rest at room temperature until the filling is ready.
Make Cheesecake Batter
Reuse your bowl and beaters to make the cheesecake batter. Try to get most of the cookie dough from the beaters and bowl when you put the cookie layer in the pan, but a little bit in the cheesecake won't hurt anything.
Mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, and salt together on high for 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The batter will thin out with this step.
Pour the batter over the warm cookie layer and spread out to the edges of the pan, covering the cookie layer entirely. Sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips if desired.
Bake until the top looks dry and mostly set, but is still soft. The cheesecake will wiggle slightly when you shake the pan, but it should not be sloshy.
Remove the cheesecake bars from the oven and cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Once the pan isn't entirely hot, place them in the fridge to chill.
Hint: Don't skip parbaking the cookie layer, because it helps the cheesecake set. The cheesecake will be much softer set, almost runny, if you don't pre-bake.
Why Don't These Bars Have An Edge Crust?
I've made Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars both with and without an edge crust along the sides. I prefer them without the edge for two reasons:
- I think they're prettier without the edge crust.
- The edge cookie crust bakes up harder and crunchier, which is more difficult to cut through.
The cookie along the edge puffs up and domes, allowing the cheesecake batter to sink underneath it. The cookie crust edge will tower over little air pockets. Although the edges are harder and crunchier, they will soften after a few days.
If an edge crust sounds appealing, here's how you make it:
- Do not parbake the cookie dough.
- Bake the bars a few minutes longer, as the filling will be deeper.
Serving and Storage
Chill the bars completely before cutting and serving.
You can cut the cheesecake bars directly in the pan. If you've lined the baking pan with parchment paper, carefully remove the chilled parchment with bars from the pan. Use a bench scraper (affiliate link) to cut evenly through the bars. The crust will be firm to cut through but will not be hard to eat.
They say to use floss to cut through cheesecake cleanly, but I've never tried it, and don't mind a jagged edge on these creamy treats.
Store cheesecake bars covered, in the fridge. Cheesecake will pick up off flavors if exposed to air. The bars will keep for up to 5 days, if you don't eat them all first.
Recipe FAQ and Troubleshooting
When cheesecake and cheesecake bars are done, the center will wiggle slightly in the center, and look dry and set on top. It will not be too jiggly, and the middle should not look like liquid sloshing under the surface. Cheesecake that's done will also be a little brown along the edges.
Two things cause cheesecake to crack: overmixing, and overbaking.
Beat your cream cheese thoroughly before adding eggs, to be sure that it's light, loose, and aerated. However, when you add eggs, though, you want to mix on low so you don't beat much air into them. Air beaten into the eggs can expand, create bubbles, and crack.
If your oven runs hot, check the chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars early to check for doneness.
To hide flaws on cheesecake, I make a ganache! Melt together ¾ cup chocolate chips and 4 ½ tablespoons of heavy cream, using the instructions for my Brownie Cheesecake recipe. Spread it over the entire surface of the bars.
If you don't want to make a ganache, try cutting the chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars into pieces along the cracks.
More Delicious Cream Cheese Recipes
Here's some of my other favorite creamy, tangy desserts with cream cheese!
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer
- 16 tablespoons butter (227 grams) (softened)
- ¾ cup brown sugar (150 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ cup flour (275 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 bag)
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 bricks; softened)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup miniature chocolate chips (3 ounces, for topping; optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer
- With a stand mixer or hand mixer (affiliate link), beat the butter with the sugars on medium speed until creamy, about 1-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and beat for another minute.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low until the dough just comes together.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips on low speed.
- Turn the cookie dough into a greased or parchment-lined 9x13 inch pan. Press the dough along the bottom and about ¾-1 inch up the sides.
- Bake at 350F for 5 minutes while you start the cheesecake filling. The crust will not be set, and the edges will begin to slump down.
Cheesecake Filling
- Scrape as much cookie dough from the mixing bowl and paddle attachment as you can, but no need to wash it.
- Using the same bowl and paddle, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and salt for about 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Stop a couple of times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add the eggs one by one, beating for a minute after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the warm cookie dough. Being careful not to disturb the crust (which will not be set), spread the batter out over the crust edges, all the way to the sides of the pan. (The cookie dough edges will have slumped down, and that's ok.)
- If desired, sprinkle with ½ cup miniature chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. The cheesecake top will be set and look dry. The cheesecake will wiggle a little when moved, but will not be sloshy or jiggly underneath.
- Cool at room temperature for at least an hour, then chill for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cheesecake will pick up off flavors if not covered. Eat within 3-5 days.
Notes
[Originally published November 18, 2022. Restructured September 25, 2025.]
Leona Konkel says
I love these cheesecake bars. The only thing that keeps me from making them on a whim is not having cream cheese in my refrigerator. I hope you also love this creamy cheesecake-cookie mashup. Let me know how they turn out when you try them!