M&M Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Hear me out: cheesecake and cookies. Specifically, the most whimsical of all foundational American cookies, M&M cookies. Does it sound a little strange? Yes, they’re not two desserts you typically associate with one another. Do they weirdly work really well together? Also, yes. These bars are creamy, tangy, a little chewy from the cookie, with a beautiful vanilla aroma and little pockets of chocolate from the M&Ms. An unexpected, and slightly unique, winning combination.

When I was developing this recipe, I considered making individual M&M cookies stuffed with a cheesecake center. In theory, they’d be more portable and have that fun surprise center, but those centers were just a pain in the butt. I want my recipes to be something the average person can easily replicate, and I knew that if the cheesecake filling was frustrating for me, a very experienced professional baker, to create, the average person was going to have a bad time, to say the least.

Could I have continued playing around with the recipe until I found a way to make a cheesecake batter firm enough that it would hold its shape long enough to freeze and wrap cookie dough around? Perhaps. But with the cost of ingredients and my patience, this was the more practical solution: just create bars with cheesecake sandwiched in between instead. Less mess, and much faster than making individual stuffed cookies! Sometimes, simpler is better.

FAQs and Science

Why does the dough need to chill before baking?

In this case, to make it easier to handle and to give the final product a better texture.

Can I chill the dough for longer than 30 minutes?

Yes, you can make the dough itself up to 2 days ahead of time stored air-tight in the fridge! Just keep in mind that the longer it chills, the more firm it will be, so you’ll need to leave it out on the counter for a few minutes to make it malleable again.

Do I really need to use parchment paper?

In this case, I highly recommend it. If all you do is spray the pan with a nonstick baking spray, removing the bars later on will be a huge pain. To better fit the parchment paper into the pan so it doesn’t keep popping back up, crumple it into a ball then unfurl it. The crumpled paper will form into the pan without any butter to help it stick.

Is there a faster way to warm up the butter, cream cheese, and eggs to room temperature than just leaving them out on the counter? That always takes forever!

Yes, not once have I ever been patient enough to just leave ingredients to sit on the counter until they warmed up to room temperature. There are tricks, don’t worry.

For the butter, place it on a plate and microwave it for 12 seconds. Flip it upside down, then microwave for another 12 seconds. Turn it on its side, and microwave for 6-8 seconds. This should be enough to get a softened, pliable consistency without completely melting, but you can always add another few seconds if it’s still too firm to beat.

For the cream cheese, take it out of the foil packaging and either on a plate or in a microwave safe mixing bowl, heat it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or until it becomes a whisking consistency without melting entirely.

For the eggs, before you start anything else, place them in a bowl and cover them with the hottest water that comes out of your tap. By the time you’re ready for them, they’ll have warmed up to room temperature.

Why does it matter that the butter, eggs, and cream cheese are at room temperature?

Remember, baking is a science! It’s better for the emulsification of the dough and batter for all of the ingredients to be the same warmer temperature. If you ignore this step, especially with the cheesecake, everything could split or you could wind up with big chunks of cream cheese not mixed into your batter. Definitely not pleasant to eat.

Could I substitute anything else for the plain M&Ms?

Yes! Use your favorite flavor of M&M, or chopped up then frozen (for ease of mix-in) chocolate bar, like snickers or milky way.

Can I freeze these?

Yes! Fully baked, chilled, and portioned bars can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them gently in the fridge overnight.

What You’ll Need

• 8×8 inch baking dish
• Parchment paper
• Plastic wrap
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 medium-large mixing bowl
• Dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer
• Rolling pin, optional
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board

The Process

Make the Dough

Begin by preparing the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare an 8×8 inch baking dish. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with parchment paper, long enough to extend 1-2 inches above the top of the pan. A trick I learned in pastry school to easily form the parchment to the sides of the dish without having to butter the bottom and sides is to crumple the parchment and unfurl it before placing it into the pan. The crumpling allows the paper to form into whichever shape is demanded of it, making it much more cooperative. Set the dish aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set this bowl aside.

In a medium-large microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter. Using a liquid fat-based dough will give the cookies a chewier texture than softened butter would, which pairs beautifully with the cheesecake filling. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the melted butter, and whisk together until they’re one smooth mixture.

Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture, and whisk vigorously until they’re combined. The vigorous speed will help emulsify everything, rather than leaving a layer of fat on top of the rest of the mixture.

All at once, dump the dry goods into the bowl with the wet ingredients and gently stir the flour in to form a dough, using a rubber spatula. When there are a few streaks of flour remaining, pour in the M&Ms and fold them into the dough until they’re evenly dispersed. Doing this when the flour is streaky helps prevent the dough from getting over-mixed, which would make it tough. No one wants tough cookies.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. This chill will just make the dough less sticky and easier to handle.

After 30 minutes of chilling, divide the dough in half and press one half into the bottom of the lined baking dish. Bake it for 15 minutes. This par-bake is crucial now, so the bars will be fully baked in the end.

With the bottom layer in the oven, take the other half of dough and on a piece of plastic wrap, press or roll it into an 8×8 inch square. If you’d like, gently press extra M&Ms into this top layer of dough. Unnecessary, but an aesthetically pleasing touch. Wrap it so the dough is airtight, and place it back in the fridge.

Make the Filling

While the bottom layer par-bakes and the top layer chills, prepare the cheesecake. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth.

Add in the egg, salt, and vanilla, and beat them on level 3 or 4 until a smooth, homogeneous batter has formed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Set it aside.

Assemble It All

Once the bottom cookie layer has finished baking, immediately pour the cheesecake batter on top. Gently place the 8×8 dough square on top of that. If you’re not delicate enough while placing the top cookie layer, the batter may leak out of the sides and on top. Filling on top is definitely not the goal here.

 Place the pan back in the oven, and bake it for 20 minutes more, or until the top cookie layer has started to lightly brown.

Allow the cookie bars to cool in the pan at room temperature for 1 hour, then cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for a minimum of 4 hours. Remove the slab from the pan, cut it into a 4×4 grid, store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and enjoy!

M&M Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Bake Time: 350F for 35 minutes
Servings: 16 servings, 8×8 square pan
Total Time:  6 hours 45 minutes
Prep Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:

• 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup M&Ms, plus extra for garnishing top

Cheesecake:

• 8-oz block full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Begin by making the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350F, on the convection setting if possible, and prepare an 8×8 inch baking dish. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with parchment paper, long enough to extend 1-2 inches above the top of the pan, and set the dish aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set them aside.
3. In a medium-large microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the melted butter, and whisk together until they’re one homogeneous mixture.
4. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture, and whisk vigorously until they’re combined.
5. All at once, dump the dry goods into the bowl with the wet ingredients and gently stir the flour in to form a dough, using a rubber spatula. When there are a few streaks of flour remaining, pour in the M&Ms and fold them into the dough until they’re evenly dispersed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes of chilling, divide the dough in half and press one half into the bottom of the lined baking dish. Bake it for 15 minutes.
7.  Take the other half of dough and on a piece of plastic wrap, press or roll it into an 8×8 inch square. If you’d like, gently press extra M&Ms into this top layer of dough. Wrap it airtight, and place it back in the fridge.
8. While the bottom layer par-bakes and the top layer chills, prepare the cheesecake. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on level 3 or 4 until combined. Add in the egg, salt, and vanilla, and beat them on medium speed until a smooth batter has formed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Set the filling aside.
9. Once the bottom cookie layer has finished baking, immediately pour the cheesecake batter on top. Gently place the 8×8 dough square on top of that. Place the pan back in the oven. Bake it for 20 minutes more, or until the top cookie layer has started to lightly brown.
10. Allow the cookie bars to cool in the pan at room temperature for 1 hour. When the hour is up, cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for a minimum of 4 hours. Remove the slab from the pan and cut it into a 4×4 grid. Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and enjoy!

Tips

• Freeze fully baked and chilled cookie bars for up to 3 months. Cut them into the desired portion sizes before freezing, taking care to place them flat in a freezer bag. To thaw, place the desired amount in the fridge overnight, wrapped air tight.
• Experiment with different kinds of M&Ms! Caramel, pretzel, or peanut butter M&Ms would be particularly good in this recipe.