Monday 7 March 2016

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars


Wow. That is an understatement. OMG. That is also an understatement. When I stood by the kitchen sink and sank my teeth into my first ever Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bar, I was in Nirvana. If you haven't had one of these, you my friend, are missing out on something incredible. 

I was flipping through my recipe folders (which contains printed recipes from other blogs) when I stopped at Jess' Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. Yes, I do remember these cheesecake bars from 2012. We were fated to meet again.


These cheesecake bars, like most cheesecakes, use digestive biscuits as the base. But since I had some chocolate chip cookies in the fridge, I decided to use those instead.


These cookies were banged around a bit and they were damaged. Still edible, still good but not presentable. They were perfect for a cheesecake base. So I bashed them up and mixed them with melted butter.


Then the whole lot was pressed into the base of the cake tin. At first it felt like that there was not enough but I kept pressing the cookie crumbs and they finally covered the entire base.


The base was baked in the oven for 8 minutes. Meantime I made the cookie dough. The recipe calls for forming clumps with the dough, flattening it and then arranging the dough on top of the cheese layer.

I soon realized that my cookie dough was very soft. How the heck was I going to form clumps, flatten and then place it on the cheese? Jess did not mention any issues with the dough. Then I took another look at the recipe. Aiks!! No egg!!

I had absentmindedly added an egg to the batter because there is usually an egg in cookie dough. I had been baking cookies the last 3 weeks and I was on auto-cookie mode. This cookie dough is different, it has no eggs.

So how?? I added more flour but the dough was still too soft. So I chilled it in the fridge while I prepared the cream cheese layer. The dough firmed up but it soon softened due to the very hot weather and my very warm hands. But I managed.


Then it was off to the oven to bake. This was how it turned out.


Not too bad, eh?


I left it to cool for a few hours while I went about my grocery run. Once it was cool, I sliced it immediately because there was not enough time to chill the cake.


They were quite easy to slice as they are firm and compact.  I used a knife dipped in hot water and I wiped between cuts.


These I tell you, they are too good to share hah...hah... I ate two and the rest I stashed away in the freezer to be enjoyed in the days to come. Oh, actually I had another two in the evening. Amen.


Now I know what to do with my extra home baked cookies. I believe they made a much better base for the cheesecake. Well, this will not be the last time I bake these Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. I am looking into baking another one and this time, I will share :)












Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Recipe source : Adapted from Bakericious

Ingredients :

For the crust
- 200g Chocolate Chip Cookies (or Digestive Biscuits), crushed
- 70g butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 70g butter, softened
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 85g flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling
- 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method :

For the crust :
1. Mix crushed cookies/biscuits and butter evenly until it resembles wet sand.
2. Pour into the base of an 8" lined baking pan (make sure there is an overhang for easy removal of cake).
3. Press the mixture into the base.
4. Bake at 160C for 8 minutes.
5. Set aside to cool.

For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and continue to mix.
3. Add flour and mix to combine.
4. Add chocolate chips and mix to form a dough. Set aside.

For the Cream Cheese Filling
1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until well mixed.
2. Add vanilla and egg and continue to beat until mixture is smooth.
3. Pour the cream cheese into the prepared pan and tilt the pan to spread the cream cheese evenly over the pan.

To cover Cream Cheese with Cookie Dough :
1. Using your hands, pinch off some dough and flatten the dough.
2. Place the flattened dough onto the cream cheese.
3. Repeat until all the dough is used up and the cheese layer is covered.

Bake at 160C for 30-35 minutes  or until the cookie dough is dry to the touch and the batter is firm (does not jiggle when shaken slightly).

Cool the cake before slicing into bars.

33 comments:

  1. Good morning Phong Hong.. The name sounds interesting already.. Cookie dough as base, and cream cheese for cheecake.. Can never go wrong, so "hor liew" wor..The baked product makes me think of brownie cheesecakes.. Eh you so funny la, you had 2 in the evening, and you said Amen.. I can have 10! Omitofu :)

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    1. Hi Louiz! I was intrigued by the cookie dough part. Now I know how good it is. If I just "let go", I can also eat 10 like you :D

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  2. wah, the name sounds so sophisticated lah, but it looks like brownies to me.. don't care lah, for one who just makan, I will just walloped the pieces into my stomach, but I think I menang you this time, I can down three while you just had two, hahaha!!! :p

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    1. hehe, the cookies you baked that you can't finish (wait, is that ever possible at all??) can never be wasted but made into the base for your cheesecakes!! can also become crumbs to top onto your cakes as well huh?? for me, I'll just finish the pieces and then use a spoon to scoop the crumbs clean from the tub.. that's what I'll do, the difference between a baker and an eater, hehe~~

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    2. this one looks not difficult to make huh?? I mean probably if without the cookie dough, I maybe can make one with just the crust and cheese.. so the cookie dough is not the same as your normal cookie, no eggs!!! tarak telur!! so that is a "JIBBY" cookie dough, remember that next time!! wakakaka~~ :p

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    3. LOL! With your "JIBBY" cookies dough, I will never ever forget NOT to add the egg :D

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  3. Yes, I want to sink my teeth into your cheese cookie bar too Phong Hong. I can't wait to try out this recipe and thanks for sharing. Amen!

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    Replies
    1. Veronica, you will love these cheesecake bars! But be warned, you won't stop at one :D

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  4. OMG!!! How could you eat this alone and went to Nirvana!! Come back to earth and feed me please. I promise to be nicer to you.

    I love this cookies with cheese or anything called cheesecakes. You are a brilliant chef, baker and stand up comedian. Wakakakaka

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    1. Everytime I want to "fly to the moon" I will take out a cheesecake bar from the freezer hee..hee..

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    2. I am back to ogle at your cheese bars! Yums! Yums!
      Fly me to the moon too!!! I want!

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  5. Phong Hong, I need to praise for your creativity. You use your own baked chocolate chips cookies as the bake of your cheese cake. You are so clever la! No waste and you make your own very fantastic original recipe that no one can imitate. You have successfully tempt me to try this.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Yannie hee..hee... I know Yannie won't bake this because it will spoil Yannie's diet LOL!

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  6. If me, i can finish many many piece of it, hehe...

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  7. Wow....I just put on 2 pounds looking at your Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars...OMG! :D

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    Replies
    1. Imagine how much you will put on if you ate them LOL!

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  8. Makes me craving for at least one piece to quench my sweet tooth!!

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  9. I guess this is very rich! Is the cookie dough fully cooked? Often when I see cookie dough in imported ice cream, the cookie dough is not cooked. If it is fully cooked, why still call it cookie dough, why not just call it cookie as in cookie cheesecake bars?

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    Replies
    1. The cookie dough is fully cooked but of course it is not crispy like a cookie. I am guessing that it sounds more intriguing to call it cookie dough hah..hah... As I know it, Americans like to eat raw cookie dough. To me that is so weird.

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  10. It looks good leh .. I can have it with a cup of coffee and I am sure I will be very full!

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    Replies
    1. It's very filling because it is chocolaty and lemak. But I can eat four hah..hah..

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  11. Cookie dough raw...cookie dough cooked? Sometimes it could be confusing, because these days there's so much 'raw cookie dough' recipe out there, which I'm not a big fan of, but your cookie dough Phong Hong, is totally cooked, perfect and super creative in the cheesecake bars recipe! Love how it turned out...so decadent!

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    Replies
    1. I find it hard to understand how some people like to eat raw cookie dough hah..hah... I have seen some recipes where the cookie dough is rolled into tiny balls and embedded into the cheesecake. I doubt if these dough balls will cook.

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  12. OMG indeed!!! You really can go into the baking and cooking business or are you in it already?

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    Replies
    1. hah..hah...no, I don't intend to go commercial. Just as a hobby or else it will be stressful.

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  13. Hi Phong Hong,
    I see that you had 4 yummy rich chocolaty Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars in a day ! You're creative to use chocolate chip cookies. All I could say is Yummy!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Karen! Your kids will love this for sure :)

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  14. WOW! I love cheesecake bars! These look really yummy!! Can't wait to try it out soon. Thanks Phong Hong!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ann! Do try because they are so YUMMY!

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  15. Yums Yums! You mentioned that you are looking into baking another one and this time, you will share - so please remember to share some with me. I really want to taste the cookie, look so good!

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