Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

•1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
•5 tbls unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate chip cookie dough:

•5 tbls unsalted butter, room temp
•1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
•3 tablespoons granulated sugar
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•3/4 cup flour
•1 cup chocolate chips 

Cream cheese filling:

•10 oz cream cheese, room temp
•1/4 cup sugar
•1 large egg
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

•Preheat oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper allowing an over hang, and then spray with nonstick spray. 

•Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until well combined. Press the graham cracker crust in the prepared pan and bake for 6 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool. 

•While the crust is cooling, start making the chocolate chip cookie dough. Mix the butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer. Once well combined, mix in the flour. Stir in the chocolate chips and then set aside. 

•Now start to make the cream cheese filling. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla until just incorporated. Pour the cheesecake better into the prepared crust. 

•Using your hand form the cookie dough into clumps. Flatten the clumps and distribute them on top of the cheesecake batter. Make sure to use all the cookie dough; you will end up covering almost all of the cheesecake batter. 

•Bake for 30 minutes until the cookie dough feels dry and firm and the entire pan feels set if you give it a shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. 

•Once completely cool lift the bars out by using the over hang. Slice into desired size and store in the fridgerator.