Not a cookie, not a brownie: these Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars are the softest, chewiest, gooey-est best of both worlds!
Let me start this by saying that these Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars did not come out how I wanted them to. At all.
The good news is that they actually came out better.
They were supposed to be crispy cookie bars, stuffed with a layer of Nutella cheesecake filling.
Maybe if I’d spread them in a larger pan instead of my trusty, rusty 8×8, I’d have gotten what I was looking for.
But then…then I wouldn’t have happily launched myself into a sugar coma from uncontrollably eating an entire warm square in 30 seconds.
Fair warning: these are rich. Consume sparingly.
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Raise your hand if you love Nutella!
Both of mine are up. If you’ve been here for a minute, you know I’m a fan. Nutella Bread. Nutella Stuffed Donuts. Nutella Banana Cream Pie. The list goes on.
I think it goes without saying that there is NOTHING healthy about these.
They’re considerably more indulgent than my fave Snickerdoodle Bars. All butter, sugar, and chocolate comforting goodness. And I’m perfectly OK with that.
I’ve been busting my ass at the gym all summer to be able to enjoy treats like this and, dammit, nothing is gonna stop me, least of all my guilty conscience.
Of course, summer is ending.
We’re getting into winter weight time, so it’s a good thing the majority of stuff like this goes with The Hubs to work.
I’d probably be snacking on them all day, every time I walked by the plate. Breaking a bar apart, piece by piece, savoring every bite.
Bad habits die hard, y’all.
Honestly, would you blame me?
If you’re a fan of cookie dough the way I am, you’re gonna flip for these bars.
Even pulling them from 24 hours of refrigeration (to harden them for clean cuts,) they were still nice and soft – reminiscent of a spoon in a cookie dough tube at midnight in the shadows of the kitchen.
I guess smashing these guys in a smaller pan, and covering the bottom layer of cookie dough with the best (and easiest) damn Nutella cheesecake concoction I’ve ever tried, really inhibited the actual baking process.
There was just so much moisture in such a small space! Even after having them in the oven for almost an hour, they were still almost cookie dough consistency.
It was really hard to tell from looking at them in the pan, though.
The top looked so nice and crispy and cookie-like. I was confident that they were perfection.
Turns out I was right, just not the way I thought.
Hello, edible cookie dough goodness. Let’s be forever friends.
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Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
Nutella Cheesecake Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Nutella
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Preheat to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 cake pan with foil or parchment paper, then brush it with butter or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, with all flour incorporated. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
To make the Nutella Cheesecake Layer:
- Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat until fluffy with a mixer. Blend in Nutella until combined, then add the egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Press 2/3 of the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Spread the Nutella Cheesecake on top of the cookie dough. Gently press the remaining 1/3 of the cookie dough on the top of the Nutella layer in sections.
- Place in the oven and bake 50-55 minutes until the edges are browned and the center is set, covering the pan with foil after 35 minutes or so. Cool completely, at least one hour, cut into 18 pieces and serve.
Megan @ Megunprocessed says
They look AMAZING!!
Heather says
These look so heavenly! Perfect for Halloween parties that are right around the corner!
Rebecca Hubbell says
These bars look downright sinful and all those layers look perfect! Can’t wait to make them!