Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Vegan + Gluten-Free

I have a very exciting announcement today and what better way to share to share it than with celebratory Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!?  I’m super excited to announce the launch of my new health coaching website and business! You may have noticed the new section on the upper right side of the website navigation bar labelled “health coaching.” If you click on it it takes you to my brand new website- www.healthcoachilene.com. Since I’m still in school I’m currently offering my two health coaching programs to my blog readers at a very discounted rate, so please be in touch if you are interested in setting up a consultation. The consultation is free and we’ll basically chat (via phone, Skype or in person in NYC) about you health, diet and lifestyle concerns and goals and how we can work together to get you feeling your best.  Now, on to the dessert!

These Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are super decadent and look like they take hours in the kitchen, but they are actually quite easy to put together. This is a fun dessert to make for friends that are skeptical of vegan desserts because the cheesecake layer is so rich and tasty you’ll hear a lot of “this is vegan and gluten-free and sugar-free??”

I ended up doubling the original amount of cookie dough that I was planning to use for the bottom layer. While it still tasted amazing, I’m going to recommend that you use half the amount of cookie dough that I used so it becomes more of a crust. This just is to even out the cheesecake to cookie ratio, but if you would like to make your bars as thick as mine feel free to double the amount of cookie dough in the recipe below.

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

makes about 12-16 bars

What you’ll need:

for the cookie layer-

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs, vegan chocolate chips or carob chips

for the cheesecake layer-

• 1 package silken tofu
• 1 cup vegan cream cheese (I used daiya)
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

for the peanut butter and chocolate toppings-

• 2 tbs peanut butter
• 2 tbs agave
• 2 tbs cocoa or cacao powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9″ x 9″ baking pan.
2. Prepare the cookie layer by mixing together almond flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Combine agave, coconut oil and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to bowl of dry ingredients. Thoroughly combine, then stir in cacao nibs or chocolate chips.
3. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan so that it covers the entire bottom. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. While the crust is baking, prepare the cheesecake layer by combining all ingredients in a blender. If you’re having a difficult time blending, add an extra splash or two of non-dairy milk to help smooth things along.
5. When the 15 minutes are up, remove pan from oven and spread cheesecake layer evenly over crust. Return to oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until edges become slightly golden.
6. Remove from oven and let cool. You’ll want the pan to cool completely otherwise the bars will crumble when you cut them.  I recommend speeding this up by placing the pan in the refrigerator for about an hour once it’s cool enough to handle.
7. Once pan is completely cool, cut into bars (should make 12-16). To make the topping, mix 2 tbs peanut butter with 1 tbs agave, and transfer to a pastry bag (or plastic baggie with the tip cut off) and draw zig-zags on top of the bars. Mix 2 tbs cocoa powder and 1 tbs agave to make the chocolate topping and do the same. Enjoy!!