Cherry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Yield: 24 bars

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes

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These Cherry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars have a vanilla cookie crust and a creamy cherry cheesecake filling. Chocolate chip cookies baked on top take these cheesecake bars to the next level of deliciousness.

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 ½ cups Nilla Wafers crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake Filling

2 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
20 maraschino cherries, chopped

For the Cookie Dough

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 Tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 ounce package Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate morsels

Instructions

Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper, set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a food processor, pulse Nilla Wafer cookies with sugar until fine crumbs. Drizzle in melted butter and pulse until combined.
Pour crumbs into bottom of baking dish. Using palm of your hand (or bottom of a cup) press crumbs firmly until they are combined (and slightly hardened) in bottom of pan.
For the cheesecake filling, beat cream cheese with sugar and eggs using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer. Beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Add in chopped cherries, giving it a few stirs until smooth and combined. Pour over cookie crust.
For the cookie dough, beat butter with sugars for 2 minutes, until combined. Add milk, egg and vanilla. Beat until mixed. Add in flour, salt and baking soda and mix until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by large scoop onto top of cheesecake layer. Try to use your fingertips to spread gently until cheesecake is covered completely.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy!!

Notes

Use parchment paper: Line your baking dish with parchment paper before adding the Nilla wafer crust. This makes the bars easier to remove after baking.

Top with cookie dough before baking: We use a cookie scoop to drop the dough over the bars by the tablespoon. From there, you can use your fingertips to gently spread the dough evenly over the cheesecake.

Do not overbake: The cookie dough layer should be lightly golden but still slightly soft when you take the cheesecake bars out of the oven. The bars will continue to set up as they cool.

Refrigerate: After baking, cover the cherry chocolate chip cheese bars with plastic wrap. Let chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.

Change it up: Try this cherry chocolate chip cheesecake bars recipe with our graham cracker pie crust for a different element of flavor.

See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 329Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 143mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.