Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
This chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake is a cookie dough lover’s dream. Creamy cheesecake, cookie dough and a chocolatey crust. Yum!
Cookie dough meets cheesecake in this incredible chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake.
It’s creamy. It’s decadent. It’s a cookie dough lover’s dream.
Whoever felt like throwing balls of cookie dough into cheesecake batter is a straight up genius, that’s all I have to say.
The cheesecake starts with a buttery, chocolatey crust.
While many cheesecakes call for prebaking the crust for a few minutes, this crust remains unbaked until the entire cheesecake goes in the oven.
Half of the cheesecake batter goes on top of the crust before we get to the star of the show: cookie dough.
Cookie Dough
The cookie dough for this cheesecake is a simple egg-less recipe.
The cookie dough is rolled into small balls, chilled for a minute until firm, and then stirred into the cheesecake batter.
When it’s baked, the cookie dough forms delightful pockets of cookie dough goodness throughout the creamy cheesecake.
To Water Bath or Not
I know it’s contrary to all professional cheesecake bakers out there, but I never water bath my cheesecakes.
The simple reason why: I’m too lazy. And it’s often messy.
Instead, I’ll sometimes put a pan of hot water on the oven rack below the cheesecake. The steam from the water has the same effect as a water bath.
Even with the pan of water (or the fussy water bath), a cheesecake might still crack. Some of that has to do with how much the batter is mixed once the eggs are added. Too much mixing can cause cracks.
I don’t stress about the cracks – just one more good reason to use a lot of whipped cream topping to cover them up!
Unbelievably rich (this is a good thing), this chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts of all time.
I like to top slices of the cheesecake with sweetened whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
The cookie dough effect throughout the cheesecake is brilliant and delicious, and it is an absolute showstopper of a dessert.
FAQs for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
I never water bath my cheesecakes, but that’s just a personal preference. You could certainly use a water bath if that is your preference.
The major downfall with using storebought cookie dough is that it has eggs in the batter. I don’t know if the cookie dough gets baked all the way through in this cheesecake recipe like it would if you were baking cookies. Having said that, the cheesecake IS baked so maybe the cookie dough bakes enough to get rid of the risk of salmonella. In this case, use your best judgment!
No, the crust bakes with the cheesecake and doesn’t need to be prebaked.
One Year Ago: Cookie Dough Topped Brownies
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, softened
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips
Crust:
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted
- 2 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs
Filling:
- 4 packages (8-ounces each) (908 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup (227 g) sour cream
- 1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips
Garnish:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks (add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar while whipping if you like a bit of extra sweetness)
- Mini chocolate chips or shaved chocolate, for sprinkling
Instructions
- For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add the water (or milk), vanilla and blend. Mix in the flour, salt and the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly soft. Gently roll the dough into small balls (about a teaspoon size, maybe a bit larger) and place them on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Place them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake.
- For the crust: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the chocolate cookie crumbs. Press onto the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.
- For the cheesecake: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Be careful not to overmix – incorporating too much air into the batter can contribute to a cheesecake cracking on top during baking.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared crust.
- Gently stir the cookie dough balls and the one cup mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter. Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top (it is ok to see bumps of cookie dough here and there, smooth it the best you can).
- Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes until the sides are set and the center is still a bit jiggly. Turn off the oven and prop the door open several inches. Let the cake sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. To serve, cut into slices and top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Nate and Kylie W. (my brother and sister-in-law)
Recipe originally published July 2010; updated December 2020 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
Mel- Thank you so much for replying! I can’t wait to make this cheesecake!
Isaac – you could probably use any cookie dough recipe…I like the eggless so I don’t have to worry if the cookie dough gets completely baked through but I’m sure that’s not a huge issue.
Could you use any cookie dough for it, or do you have to use the egg-less recipe provided?
Made this cheesecake tonight, it tasted superb! Only thing for next time is I think it needs more than an hour to cook, maybe an extra 10 to 20 mins to let the middle set would be better for my oven. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Oh Em Geeeee! This was so good! I made it for the Fourth of July & everyone devoured it! I had to travel four hours with it, and it was still delicious. The only complaint I have is that the crust needs about 2 tablespoons more butter. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Oh yum! You got me at chocolate chip cookie dough. I can’t keep my hands off it. I need to make two batches of cookies because I end up eating too much :p
Oh my goodness! This looks heavenly! Definitely something to make next time we have dinner guests, it will definitely impress.
I have made it several times for company. it’s a winner
I just made this for my boyfriend for our 3 year anniversary & it was amazing! He Absolutely loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
I forgot to mention cooking time is for a 10 inch cheesecake, lol.
I can’t wait to try this, I make a LOT of cheesecakes!! For anyone who has problems with cracking, I find this method even better then a water bath:
First make sure to grease and flour your pan
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes
Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 2 hours
Run a thin spatula around the the rim of the pan and return cheesecake to the oven with the temperature OFF for 2 more hours
Refrigerate over night and enjoy!
More tome consuming, but a flawless cheesecake is worth tje extra time!
This is more time consum
Miriam – most cheesecakes can be frozen just fine so I’m assuming this would fare well.
OMG im drooling…..can this be frozen?
I made this last December for my nursing school peeps; they still are talking about it. It was awesome. Going to make it again for the end of the semester party.
Oh My! This looks so yummy. Cheesecake is my weakness.
chocolate chip cookie dough? YUM!!
Yum! That looks amazing! Love chocolate chip cookie dough!
Wow, lovely! 🙂
Cindy – yes, it is 325 degrees F.
is the temperature 325 degree F?
*drool* this looks amazing, I have to try it! 🙂
I shudder to think of the calorie count….but it looks worth every one! Yum!
“Light sour cream” Hahahaha!!!
This cheesecake is very delicious. I have made it twice and everyone who tried it loved it! I only have an 8 in spring form pan, so mine took much longer to bake, and I had left over batter, which I made mini cheesecakes with in a cupcake tin (I had cookie dough balls left over too for the minis). This will definitely impress.
Hey! This recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I was wondering if anyone had any problems with the sour cream? I’ve made cheesecake bars before and found 2 different recipes, one using sour cream and one without. I used the recipe including the sour cream and although the bars tasted ok, there was a slight aftertaste. I am really looking forward to baking this but just wanted to double check everything first. From all of the comments I’ve read, no one has mentioned a problem after using the sour cream so I think it will turn out great!
Mel,
Thank you so much for your response! I really appreciate how willing you are to answer readers’ comments and questions– especially for people who need step-by-step help in the kitchen like me!
I ended up just buying a 10-inch springform last night to make the cheesecake… it looks beautiful and I’m excited to taste it tonight at my family’s Valentine’s Dinner!
Thanks again for your help!
Megan – it is a pretty full cheesecake in a 10-inch pan so I’m worried it might overflow in a 9-inch pan. A few alternatives are to make the full batch and fill your spring form pan with batter about an inch from the top and use the extra batter, baking it up in a small loaf pan or something so it doesn’t go to waste. You could also try modifying the filling ingredients to make a smaller batch – maybe a 3/4 batch? So it would look something like this:
3 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream (I used light and it worked just fine)
You might have extra cookie dough but that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Mel, do you think this recipe should be adjusted at all if I only have a 9-inch springform or would it work okay?
Thanks for your help!
Oooh, that looks scrumptious. I can already taste it from the photograph.
Andrea – I had a few really smart programmers from webfitters.com help me with that! It was way over my tiny-programming-brain.
hi! this cheesecake looks yummy! how did you add the “pin it” with each post, that was SO slick!
Caitlin – as long as the cheesecake is well-chilled before traveling, it should do fine, especially if you can keep it in a cooler or keep your car on the cool side.
Ok so my boyfriend lovesssssssss cheesecake and his birthday is tomorrow. I plan on making this but the problem is he live 3 hours away and I would have to drive there with it. Do you think it would be ok?
Hi Penny – this cake definitely wouldn’t hold up to the stacked weight, I’m afraid. It is a delicate cheesecake so it’s not really meant to be multi-level. I love your idea – it sounds stunning! Maybe you can think of an alternative that still incorporates the cheesecake…good luck! Oh, and this cheesecake can feed 12 people.
My son wants a cheesecake for his groom’s cake at his rehearsal dinner. I am thinking of trying this and if it comes out good making it for that dinner. I would like to make a smaller cake and place it on top of the larger one. Then I will put chocolate covered strawberries on top. Do you think that the cake can take the weight? If not I will try to put something in between the layers. Also, how many people does this normally feed?
This looks delicious, like downright dangerous! I would love if you shared this in my holiday dessert recipes Blog Hop. We’re giving away a prize from Wilton to the blogger with the most “likes”, come check it out! 🙂 http://www.recipelionblog.com/december-blog-hop-holiday-dessert-recipes-giveaway
Sarah @ RecipeLion
This is awesome! And the chocolate grahams worked just fine.(i added 1 more Tablespoon of melted butter) It was a huge hit with the family
Do you think that chocolate graham crackers would work as well as the cookies?
This looks great and I can not wait to make it!
Lorrie – I’ve never used chocolate grahams but I’m sure they would work just fine!
First time baking cheesecake. I made it for my friends mom birthday. His siblings are chefs so he had to step it up. (well he took credit. Lol)They were very impressed and asked for the recipe. Now I have to make it 3 more times thanksgiving week. This cheesecake is amazing.
Jk! If you make THIS I’ll be your best friend!! LOL
Forget the IV — you’d never taste it!
i`m really getting dated here. Great information shared! Kudos
Wahoo.. I am very fond of new recipes.. thanks for sharing
Goodness gracious does that look good!!!
Hi! This cheesecake looks so good and I am looking forward to trying out. Im having difficulty interpreting the quantity of cream cheese though. Is that 8 ounces total, or 8 ounces times four? Sorry if thats a silly question – In New Zealand you get cream cheese in 250 gram tubs rather than in blocks and im somewhat unfamiliar with ounces also.
Hi Danielle – the cheesecake calls for 32 ounces total of cream cheese – so 4 (8-ounce) packages. Hope that helps!
I made this to take on a weekend get away. The man I’m dating loved Cheesecake Factory’s until they started putting nuts in it, so I was very happy to find this recipe. He loved it! I froze the rest in individually wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. They defrost in a little over an hour.
I made this cheesecake for my husband for Father’s Day. It is really good, but even though I used a 10 inch springform pan and baked it for the correct amount of time, it was not completely baked in the middle. (And it almost overflowed!) Since I’m pregnant, I worry about salmonella. What did I do wrong?
Hi Bridget – I don’t think you did anything wrong but the cheesecake probably just needed to be baked a bit longer. Each oven can differ quite a bit in oven temperature so sometimes even though you have baked something according to what the recipe said, if it still jiggles quite a bit in the middle (like for this cheesecake) then you can add another 5-10 minutes to the baking time. A good test for a cheesecake’s doneness is if the sides (from the edge of the pan to about 2-inches or so into the cheesecake) are set (meaning firm and springy to the touch) and the very center of the cheesecake (probably a 2-3 inch radius) jiggles slightly when the cheesecake pan is moved back and forth. Another important note for this cheesecake is to cool it completely and refrigerate so that it can continue to set up. I hope that helps a little!
Two of my most favorite things in the world, chocolate chip and cheesecake, combined. What more can I ask. Thanks for this wonderful recipe and I will be making this special treat on my birthday this coming 10th of june. Wish me luck
Just made this last week for my 25th birthday — LOVED it! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
TOTALLY Divine! This is my husband’s new favorite dessert 🙂 I made it for his birthday and he loved it – thank you!
Mel, do you think this cheesecake would freeze well? I want to make it for a party next week at work and I just don’t have enough time in the evenings to put it all together. I was thinking of making it on Sunday, then freezing it until the day before the party. What do you think?
Hi Anna – yes, I think it would freeze just fine. Also, keep in mind that it could be made up to two days in advance and covered well and refrigerated, just in case that helps your timeline, too.