Let me start out by saying that I’m not a huge fan of cheesecake. When Shavuot rolls around, I start to get anxious. Cheesecake is expected and I just don’t wanna.
I thought about what I had on hand and what I liked in a dessert treat. Why not combine the cheesecake with something that I actually like? Turn it in to something good. I thought about the basic elements. Traditionally, cheesecake has a buttery graham cracker crust. What if I turn this cheesecake in to a cookie bar? My favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip (OCC). I could get in to a bar that is cheesecake and OCC combined. I kind of like the way this turned out.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients:
Cookie Crust and Topping:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cheesecake Layer:
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1/2 lemon
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar and egg. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Stir in the coconut and the chocolate chips.
Press 3/4 of the dough in to a 9×13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
While the crust is baking, prepare the cheesecake layer.
Beat the cheesecake ingredients together in a small bowl.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the cookie crust.
Sprinkle the rest of the oatmeal cookie mixture over the cheesecake.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecake start to become golden brown.
Cool on counter for 30 minutes.
Chill and slice up. Enjoy!
About Hindy Garfinkel