Essential Boy Bribes

The ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. My daughter made this recipe and called me while eating to tell me that if I ever need my boys to do ANYTHING I could bribe them with these cookies. Works every time.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 9x9 pan

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1 1⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5  tablespoons butter, melted
• 2⁄3 cup  miniature chocolate chip

• Cookie Dough

• 5  tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1⁄3 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 3  tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Cheesecake Filling

• 10  ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1  large egg, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. For the crust:
2. 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.
3. 2. To prepare the crust combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in the mini-chocolate chips.
4. 3. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.
5. For the cookie dough:
6. 1. Next, prepare the cookie dough. Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth.
7. 2. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated.
8. 3. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
9. For the filling:
10. 1. To prepare the filling, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.
11. 2. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.
12. 3. Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.
13. 4. To decorate with drizzled chocolate, place chocolate in a sandwich bag on a microwave safe dish and microwave in 30 second intervals moving the chocolate around between. Using scissors, cut the very tip off the sandwich bag. The smaller your cut, the smaller the drizzle.
14. 5. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars and serve. These bars are served best straight from the refrigerator, after cooled.