These 5-Ingredient Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars have a soft cookie base, a tangy cream cheese center, and a lightly golden cookie topping. A roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough takes care of both cookie layers, leaving you a short filling to mix and one small pan to bake.
The filling gets its sweetness from the surrounding dough, so the cream cheese flavor comes through. A few rainbow sprinkles finish the top. Plan time for cooling before you cut them; the layers are much easier to handle once the pan is cold.
Why This Recipe Works
Half the cookie dough becomes the crust, and the other half goes over the filling in flattened pieces. That gives you cookie flavor in each bite without rolling dough into two separate sheets.
The cream cheese layer is thinner than a full cheesecake, which suits a small bar you can pick up from a plate. It also makes this a useful dessert to prepare ahead: bake the pan, cool it, and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to slice.
The Five Ingredients
Refrigerated sugar cookie dough: Use one 16.5-ounce roll. Let it soften just enough to press into the dish, then divide it in half. Very soft, sticky dough is harder to flatten and place over the filling.
Cream cheese: An 8-ounce block gives the filling its tang and body. Soften it until it is easy to beat; cold cream cheese can leave little lumps that are difficult to smooth out once the egg is added.
Egg: One egg helps the filling set during baking. Mix it in on low speed so the batter stays smooth rather than becoming foamy.
Vanilla extract: The recipe uses 1½ tablespoons. That is tablespoons, rather than teaspoons, so check the spoon before measuring.
Rainbow sprinkles: Add a light scattering after the bars have cooled. Sprinkles count as the fifth ingredient, and the cookie layers already supply plenty of sweetness.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Keep the dish size the same; spreading these amounts through a larger pan makes thinner layers and changes the baking time.
Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed, scraping the bowl so there are no pockets of unmixed cream cheese around the edges.
Press half the cookie dough into an even layer across the bottom of the dish. Reach all four corners and keep the middle from becoming noticeably thicker than the edges.
Spread the filling gently over the base. Flatten small pieces of the remaining dough and lay them across the top, leaving little gaps between them. The dough spreads as it bakes, so the raw topping does not need to look like a complete sheet.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cookie topping is lightly golden and the filling is set. Check the center as well as the corners. For a thermometer check, the egg filling should reach 160°F (71°C); continue baking if it has not reached that temperature.
Set the dish on a rack to cool for about an hour, then refrigerate as needed until cold enough to slice neatly. Add the sprinkles once the surface has cooled. Get the bars into the refrigerator within two hours of baking rather than waiting indefinitely for the pan to cool.
Tips for Better Layers and Cleaner Cuts
Soften the cream cheese first. Beating a cold block for longer does not always give you the same smooth result. Once it is softened, mix just until the filling comes together.
Flatten the top pieces. Thick dough balls can leave heavy patches over the filling. Thin, uneven pieces are easier to distribute, and the finished top can still look pleasantly homemade.
Let the bars firm up. Warm filling can cling to the knife and squeeze out when you move a square. Use a sharp knife on cooled bars and wipe the blade between cuts.
Cut the pan into 15 small bars, or 12 slightly larger ones. A few crumbs at the edges are normal; you do not need to trim away good cookie crust to make every piece identical.
Serving and Making Ahead
Serve these bars cool, with the cookie and cheesecake layers visible at the side. Their small size works well on a dessert plate alongside fresh fruit, or simply with coffee.
For a gathering, bake them the day before and refrigerate the cooled pan, covered. Slice close to serving time and bring out a few portions at a time so the rest can stay cold.
Storage
Keep the bars covered in the refrigerator at 40°F or below and use them within three days. A shallow container works well for sliced portions; put parchment between layers if you need to stack them.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of serving, or within one hour when the temperature is above 90°F. These have an egg and cream cheese filling, so treat them as a refrigerated dessert even though the outside looks like a cookie.
For longer storage, wrap cooled individual bars and place them in a sealed freezer container. Thaw them in the refrigerator, keeping the wrapping on until they have thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the filling lumpy?
The cream cheese was probably still too cold. Start with a softened block, beat it smooth, and scrape the bowl before adding the egg and vanilla.
Do I need to add sugar to the filling?
The five-ingredient recipe gets its sweetness from the cookie dough. The center is meant to taste tangy beside those sweeter layers.
Can I use cookie dough with a different flavor?
A different dough changes the flavor and can spread differently. Use refrigerated sugar cookie dough for this version. If you want chocolate instead, try these Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
5-Ingredient Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars Recipe
The printable card below includes the amounts, pan size, and full method. Its total time includes one hour of cooling; allow extra refrigerator time if the bars are still warm or you want firmer slices.
5-Ingredient Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- 1 8-inch square baking dish greased
- Mixing bowl and hand mixer
- Spatula and wire cooling rack
- Food thermometer and sharp knife
Ingredients
- 16.5 ounces refrigerated sugar cookie dough 1 roll, slightly softened and divided in half
- 8 ounces cream cheese block-style, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- rainbow sprinkles for topping the cooled bars
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
- Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on low speed just until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Divide the sugar cookie dough in half. Press one half into an even layer covering the bottom of the prepared dish.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture gently and evenly over the cookie base.
- Break the remaining dough into small pieces, flatten them, and distribute them over the filling with small gaps between the pieces.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cookie topping is lightly golden and the filling is set. The egg filling should reach 160°F (71°C) in the center; continue baking if needed.
- Cool the pan on a wire rack for about 1 hour. Refrigerate as needed until cold enough to slice neatly, getting the bars into the refrigerator within 2 hours of baking. Add the rainbow sprinkles once the top has cooled.
- Cut the cooled bars into 15 small portions or 12 larger ones. Wipe the knife between cuts, and keep the bars refrigerated until serving.
Notes
- This is the five-ingredient refrigerated sugar cookie dough version. The filling has no added sugar; the cookie layers provide the sweetness.
- The measured vanilla is 1½ tablespoons, not teaspoons. Use a 16.5-ounce roll of cookie dough and an 8-ounce block of cream cheese.
- Times are estimates: 10 minutes preparation, about 30 minutes baking, and at least 1 hour cooling. Allow extra refrigerator time if needed for firm, clean slices. Do not leave the bars at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
- Makes 15 small bars or 12 larger portions. Keep covered at 40°F or below and use within 3 days.
- Recipe format adapted from 12 Tomatoes.
This five-ingredient recipe format is adapted from 12 Tomatoes.
More Easy Desserts
For another creamy dessert you can prepare ahead, try No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake Lush, with layers of cookie crust, cheesecake filling, and cherry topping.
Would you serve these with rainbow sprinkles or keep the tops plain? Leave a comment with your choice and how you cut the pan.