Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bites

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (take your aggression out on 8 graham crackers)
5 TBPS Melted Butter


Cookie Dough
5 TBS butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Cheesecake Filling
10 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract


Chocolate Drizzle (optional)
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vegetable shortening


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan, line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper; set aside.


2. Stir together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom of the buttered pan. Bake for 6 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.


3. Cookie dough; stir together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in flour, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Refrigerate until firm (roughly 35 minutes), then roll into teaspoon sized balls. Return to fridge.


4. While cookie dough is cooling, prepare cheesecake filling. Beat together cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth, scraping bowl as needed. Add egg and vanilla, beat until thoroughly combined.


5. Remove cookie dough balls from the refrigerator, toss with 1 tsp flour. Drop into the cheesecake filling and mix together. Pour filling into pan, taking care to spread evenly and all the way to the edges of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheesecake does not jiggle. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.


6. Using parchment paper, lift out of the pan and place on cutting board. Cut into squares.


7. To make the chocolate drizzle, combine chocolate chips and shortening in a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 50% power and stir until smooth. I typically prefer to melt my chocolate chips over the stove, as I tend to burn them in the microwave. Drizzle over bars and allow to set for 20 minutes.


Makes: 16 bars
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 41 minutes 

Recipe Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker