A little piece of Heaven

*****WARNING*****

Recipe SO rich it WILL make your eyes go cross-eyed


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

by The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan (*I used an 8x11 pan). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Make sure you mix it well so that the crust isn't too crumbly. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough (you could cheat and use store bought dough here)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour (Add a little at a time. You might not need all the flour. Just add it until the mixture sticks together). Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. It will seem like a lot of cookie dough but you want some in every piece.

Bake about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. *I think it's easier in the microwave. Put in a ziplock bag in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 30 seconds at a time, mixing within the bag after each interval. Snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.

Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars, cool in the refrigerator and serve.