Caramel, cheesecake, and chocolate chip cookies are three pretty universally loved things. I combined them to create these Caramel Cheesecake Bars with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust. Yum! It's a dessert that everyone loves.
I loved how these caramel cheesecake bars turned out. First I made a batch of whiskey caramel, then I mixed up the cheesecake filling. When it was time to assemble the cheesecake bars I just pressed the chocolate chip cookie dough into a square 8-inch pan, poured the cheesecake filling over, and then swirled in the caramel.
The whiskey caramel takes just about 30 minutes to prepare, and the cheesecake filling can be made in 5 minutes - the total preparation time is 40 minutes and the bake time is 40 minutes. You will need to let the cheesecake bars cool for 2 hours before slicing and serving.
In order to save time, I used store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough. I made the cheesecake filling and the caramel from scratch, and I wanted to reduce the preparation time and the amount of mess. If you want to save yourself even more time you could use store-bought caramel sauce. Using store-bought dough and store-bought caramel would take the active preparation time down to under 10 minutes.
Most cheesecakes have graham cracker crusts, but aren't chocolate chip cookies more delicious than graham crackers? I definitely think so. The chocolate chip crust is a fun twist on a classic cheesecake. The chocolate chip, cheesecake, and caramel are an irresistible combination.
Here is a link to the whiskey caramel recipe.
How to make Caramel Cheesecake Bars with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust:
Caramel Cheesecake Bars with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 package of Nestle Pre-Cut Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 16 ounces of Cream Cheese
- ½ cup of Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ cup Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 325 degrees, and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat on a medium speed until it is smooth. Pour in the sugar and sour cream and beat to combine. Add the eggs to the cream cheese one at a time, mixing after each addition. Then add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.
- Place the cookie dough in the baking pan and use a spoon to press into the bottom of the pan so that the dough evenly coats the pan.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the cookie dough.
- Spoon the caramel sauce on top of the cheesecake filling and swirl it in with a knife.
- Place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake has set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cooled, place the cheesecake bars in the refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill before cutting.
Notes
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Tanja / The red phone box trav says
they must taste amazing!
thekittchen says
I do love how they turned out!
Sandra Garth says
A chocolate chip cookie crust beats a graham cracker one any day!
thekittchen says
Agreed!
Joanne says
These look amazing and I just love the idea of using chocolate chip cookies for the base instead of graham crackers. YUM! Pinned.
thekittchen says
Thanks for pinning! Yes the chocolate chip crust is definitely an upgrade 🙂
Jann Olson says
You had me at caramel! 🙂 Thanks for sharing with SYC. I would like feature one of your recipes next week, but I am not seeing a link back to the party. That is a requirement.
hugs,
Jann
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
These sound delicious and look beautiful! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party!
My Early Retirement Journey Bl says
curious what would happen if you baked the cookie first. great shots! #thriftythursday
thekittchen says
I think that the cookie would get overcooked, since you do need to bake the cheesecake too.
Miz Helen says
Your Cheesecake Bars will be a very special treat, just delicious! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
thekittchen says
Cheesecake is such a treat, isn't it?
jhrivers says
Oh yum! Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites. I'm featuring you this week.
Emily @ TwoPurpleCouches says
You had me hooked from the title... and then you mentioned that you make these with whiskey caramel and now I've *got* to make a batch for myself soon! Thank you for sharing at our Merry Monday party! I love discovering delicious new recipes like this one. I'll be including your caramel cheesecake bars in my Features this coming week. We'd love to have you stop by and link up again!
Emily Fitter says
Can these be made and frozen in advance?
thekittchen says
I haven't tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!