Berry Oatmeal Cheesecake Cookie Bars

[maybetoday]

Berry Oatmeal Cheesecake Cookie Bars




Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 15-20 bars 

These Berry Oatmeal Cheesecake Bars are made with a chewy oatmeal cookie base and a creamy white chocolate cheesecake layer loaded with berries! They’re finished off with more streusel-like oatmeal cookie topping. The flavors are all a match made in heaven and we can’t stop eating them!



Ingredients

Oatmeal Cookie Base

1 3/4 cups (228g) all-purpose flour (measured accurately)

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (168g) packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup (104g) sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups (175g) uncooked quick cook oats


Berry Cheesecake Filling

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup (104g) sugar

1 large egg, divided

3/4 cup (127g) white chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups chopped strawberries

1 1/4 cups (163g) blueberries


Instructions

Make the cookie dough:


Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper that comes up above the long sides of the pan (they’ll be used to lift the bars out of the pan later) and use baking spray to spray the short sides. Set aside.


Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.


Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to be sure all is well incorporated. You should be able to see the change in color and texture happen and know it’s ready.


Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined after each.


Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.


Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is just combined. Do not over mix.


Stir in the oats. Dough will be thick, but sticky.


Press half of the cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Set the remainder of the cookie dough aside.


Make the cheesecake layer:

Add the cream cheese and sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.


Add the egg yolk and mix until well combined. Add the egg white and mix until well combined. They are added separately to prevent the filling from getting lumpy.


Add the white chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl and heat in 10-15 second increments, stirring between each, until fully melted.


Add the white chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and stir until well combined.

Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly over the oatmeal cookie base.


Sprinkle fruit evenly over the cheesecake mixture and crumble the remaining cookie dough on top of the fruit.


Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. They may jiggle a bit, but should look set.


Set on a cooling rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold and firm.


Cut into bars and serve. Store bars in an air-tight container in the fridge. Best if eaten within 4-5 days.


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