Triple Layer Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Yes, this is another chocolate chip cookie dough project. I have a few more ideas that may show up on this blog, as well, so keep watching for them!

This is a variation of the peanut butter filling bars from a few days ago. Basically, these have a cheesecake filling instead of peanut butter. I know what you're thinking - rocket science! I never said my recipes were complicated - just that they are rich and tasty!

You will need:

about 3 cups of chocolate chip cookie dough

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Prepare a 9x9 baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Preheat oven to 350. Spread about 1/2 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the cookie dough. Finally, crumble the other 1/2 of cookie dough over the cheesecake mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Cool completely before cutting.

We ate them both warm and cold, and definitely preferred the chilled version.

As for the peanut butter vs. cheesecake filling preference, it was a mixed review. The peanut butter was a lot richer, but the cheesecake was quite good, too. I guess in the end, I would say that the PB won - mainly because none of us preferred the cheesecake, but just said it was "as good" as the pb, whereas the pb got a couple of favorite votes. So, there you have it! Enjoy!!

Triple Layer Chocolate Chip Bars with Peanut Butter Filling

Sisters' Gourmet is in full swing this time of the year, getting our cookie mixes produced and shipped out for fall baking. With production comes the "reject table"! You may think of this as a bad thing, but it's really not. Pam, our Quality Control Manager, is very good at what she does! Among many other things she is watching for, she makes sure our layered cookie mixes always LOOK good in the jar. If the layers are in disarray, or it otherwise just doesn't look nice, she rejects the jar. Hence the reject table.

Each of us takes home cookies from the reject table to bake for friends, neighbors, family (of course), and we give some away to anyone else who deserves cookies that day (i.e. truck drivers, vendors, etc.). Now, don't take this wrong, but sometimes I get tired of baking the same cookies. It's not that I won't EAT the same cookie day after day, but I like to be creative when I'm baking them.

Long story short.....I'm going to be exploring other recipes that use basic chocolate chip cookie dough, since that's what is on the reject table this week. Today's recipe uses about 3 cups of prepared chocolate cookie dough, but it can easily be adjusted to use more or less. I will just list the cookie dough as an ingredient. Of course, you can substitute your favorite recipe, some refrigerated dough, or mix up a Sisters' Gourmet cookie mix!

Super easy.......You will need:
about 3 cups of chocolate chip cookie dough
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Prepare a 9x9 baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Preheat oven to 350. Spread about 1/2 of the cookie dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. Mix the remaining ingredients (will be thick) and spread over the cookie dough. Now, crumble (or spread, depending on the consistency of your dough) the other 1/2 of dough over the peanut butter mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Cool completely before cutting unless you enjoy a peanut butter and chocolately mess!

I've got a crowd over tonight, and everyone is loving these bars! The best way to describe them is that they are something like a peanut butter bon bon surrounded by chocolate chip cookie. Enjoy!!

S'more Cookie Bars!

I came across these on lovinintheoven.com and had to try.. they are even better than they look!!

S'More Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
   
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
   
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.