Yummy-licious!

I found this blog For the Love of Cooking and I have been loving it!  It is one recipe everyday... it's as simple as that!  One day it will be a main dish, the next a salad, and another a dessert!  I love the variety.  The other aspect that I enjoy about this blog is all the pictures.  I usually decide on what recipe I will make based on the pictures.  I will flip through my recipe books and the ones with pictures always catch my eye.  I know that I have probably skipped over many delicious recipes but what can I say, I'm a visual person.  So the fact that this blog includes pictures with every recipe has me saying, "ohhh, that looks yummy!"  all the time.

And that is exactly what happened a couple weekends ago when I was back in Iowa.  My mom was having family over to her house and she was cooking and baking away and I thought that I would help by making something as well.  I went to my favorite blog and it's like the blog knew exactly what I was looking for because this is what I found:

 

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

This caught my eye and had me saying, "ohhh, that looks yummy!"  So I made them and they did not disappoint!  I will definitely be making these again : )  Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by My Baking Addiction

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 cup of chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

• 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing a little overhang, then spray the paper and dish with cooking spray.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter until mixed thoroughly. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place into the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove pan and set aside to cool. DO NOT TURN YOUR OVEN OFF.

While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. Beat the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and vanilla together using a mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the flour to the butter mixture until just combined then add the chocolate chips and mix. Set aside.

For the cheesecake filling, place the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla together into a bowl then beat, using a mixer, until creamy and smooth. Carefully spread the cheesecake batter onto the prepared crust.

Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough evenly in clumps on the top of the cheesecake batter until you use all of the dough.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top (cookie dough) feels dry and firm and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Lift bars out by the overhang; slice and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature. Enjoy.