Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

The first thing to bake, on my lists of things to do in my free time, were theses Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars I saw, last week, on Bake at 350.

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Hubs two favorite desserts are chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake, how could I not make these?

Anywhoodle, we were relaxing last night on the couch and I got antsy to do something with my free time, so I decided to just go ahead and make them. I had almost all the ingredients, so why not? And by almost, I mean I was 2oz shy on the cream cheese and about 1 Tbsp shy on the chocolate chips... Oh, and I don't have shortening.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
slightly adapted from Bake at 350 (who adapted them from cookies and cups & The Essential Chocolate Chips Cookbook)

Ingredients...
Crust:
1 & 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 TBSP margarine, melted (remember Hubs is lactose intolerant, but yes he can have cheese... it's weird, it's with pills, moving on)
2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cookie Dough:
5 TBPS margarine (I like to use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, baking sticks)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 TBSP sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:
10 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temp. [or 8oz if that's what you have ;-)]
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1/3 cups dark chocolate (or you can just use more chocolate chips, if that's what you've got)

Directions...
Preheat oven to 325

Crust:
1 - Grease a 8x8 pan with margarine, line pan with parchment paper and butter the paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides.
2 - Crush graham crackers into 1 & 1/2 cups of crumbs.

3 - Melt butter and add to crumbs are moistened.
4 - Stir in chocolate chips.

5 - Press crust mixture into bottom of pan.
6 - Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough:
1- Mix butter(ish stuff), brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth.
2 - Adjust mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated.
3 - Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Cheesecake:
1 - Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

2 - Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

Topping:
1 - Microwave chocolate at 50% for intervals for a minute, stirring in between, until melted.

The whole she-bang:
1 - Pour cheesecake batter into cooled, baked crust.

2 - Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

3 - Bake (at 325) for 30mins, or until set.
4 - Place back on wire rack.
5 - Drizzle melted chocolate over top.

6 - Place in fridge to chill.

I know I should wait for a better picture, when they're cooled and cut, and pretty, but I'm just so excited to be blogging again :) Perhaps tomorrow I will have a better picture.