Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

I’ve created this recipe to combine two of my all time favourite dessert- chocolate chip cookies and a baked ‘New York style’ cheesecake! This recipe is 100% VEGAN!

Watch me make this cheesecake here.

A chocolate chip cookie base, topped with a baked vanilla cheesecake filling with chunks of cookie dough baked in, topped with a rich chocolate ganache and more cookie dough chunks!

Love cookie dough? This cheesecake will BLOW YOUR MIND!

I most definatly have a thing for creating crazy and unique desserts, like my Biscoff Swiss Roll and my No-Bake ‘Twix’ Cheesecake. Firstly it keeps the recipes interesting and fun, but also, as I bake every single day, it’s fun for me to mix and match bakes to make a unique and exciting desserts for all to enjoy.

This cheesecake has come around due to my love of baked cheesecake and cookies! If you’re a baked cheesecake fan and love cookie dough / chocolate chips, you’re in the right place!

How to make this easy cheesecake?

Firstly, you’ll want a base. Every good cheesecake has the most delicious base, right?

In this case, to keep with the cookie dough theme, I’ve gone for my super quick and easy chocolate chip cookie base which is rich in flavour and has lots of chocolate chips. It’s also is slightly chewy and crisp at the same time which compliments the filling perfectly.

Secondly, a baked cheesecake filling. In the words of ‘Marks and Spencer’s’- ‘This isn’t just any old cheesecake, this is a baked Vegan cheesecake with cookie chunks inside‘- oh yes!!

Originally I was just going to add chocolate chips but how boring is that? I’m so glad I ended up pressing chunks of cookie dough down into the filling before baking as it creates hidden chunks of baked cookie dough which is super delicious and fun!

When making this cheesecake, I added in a few extra chocolate chips to the top. Its not necessary but it makes the cheesecake look 100x better in my opinion. I mean, who doesn’t want an overload of chocolate chips!!?

This is optional- to take this cheesecake from ‘oh this is delicious’ to ‘OH MY GOD, this is INSANE’ you could even spread a very thin layer of chocolate ganache. The combination of the super creamy and glossy ganache with the chewy and light cheesecake is just divine. The flavours really compliment each other.

To make a simple chocolate ganache, mix 80g of dairy-free dark chocolate and 80ml of dairy-free cream together in a saucepan over the hob and heat over low / medium until melted together. Thats it! Spread it over the cheesecake and tuck in!

How to make a baked cheesecake?

Unlike my many No-Bake Cheesecakes, this cheesecake is baked!

Baking a cheesecake creates for a ultra smooth and creamy dessert.

You’ll want to add the chocolate chip cookie dough to the base of the tin and part bake it for 20 minutes.

Next, pour over the cheesecake filling and press in cookie dough chunks and chocolate chips. Baking a cheesecake is super easy, all you then do is pop it into the middle of the oven for around 1 hour 30 minutes until its golden in colour. The cheesecake might be little wiggly in the centre. This is fine as this cheesecake will set in the fridge overnight. Why do I do this? Well, it helps all of the filling to firm up together creating a really scrumptious bake!

Love cookie dough? Check out my other cookie dough recipes:

Vegan Small Batch Cookie Dough Cake

The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy Cookie Dough Brownie Bars

Vegan Cookie Dough Cake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

The baked filling has a ‘New York cheesecake’ feel and flavour to it. It’s ultra-creamy and melts in your mouth. It’s one of those desserts you’ll be going back for more!

This cheesecake is:

Gelatine free
100% vegan
Made using tofu (see notes*)
Easy to make
Fun, with the hidden chunks of cookie dough
Filled with rich chocolate chips

These dessert is a serious winner if you love baked cheesecakes!

I hope you all enjoy!

Notes*

Cashew nuts: The cashew nuts need to be soaked overnight in water. Just make sure the water is covering the nuts! This makes them softer, which creates a grain-free and smooth cheesecake filling.

Silken Tofu: My favourite tofu to use for cheesecakes is silken tofu. It’s soft and makes for a really creamy cheesecake. My favourites are ‘Clearspring Organic Tofu’, ‘Satono Tofu’. Any tofu that comes in a box will be perfect, just make sure you drain the water from the tofu before use. If you don’t, the cheesecake maybe soft but still extremely tasty!

Cream cheese: To be honest, any dairy-free cream cheese will work perfectly in this recipe. My favourites to use are: ‘Violife Cream Original’, Sainsbury’s own Free From Cream Cheese’. Any soft, and creamy cream cheese is great!

Preparation: Overnight (see notes*)

Baking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Level: Easy / medium

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Ingredients for the base

85g of light brown sugar
40g of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon of dairy-free milk
85g of dairy-free butter / margarine
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
160g of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
60g of dairy-free chocolate chips

Ingredients for the cheesecake filling

200g of cashew nuts (see notes*)
450g of dairy-free cream cheese (see notes*)
210g of silken tofu (See notes*)
20g of light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract / vanilla bean paste
50ml of dairy-free cream

Extra Dairy-free chocolate chips (for decoration)

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Method (base)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees c, fan and line the base of an 8 inch spring form / loose base round cake tin with greaseproof paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sugars, dairy-free milk, dairy-free butter/margarine and vanilla extract.

Add a splash more milk if the mixture is too thick.

3. Add in the flour, baking powder and stir to combine into a cookie dough.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Remove 1/4 of the cookie dough and set aside. You’ll want to save this to press into the cheesecake filling later on.

6. Press the remaining 3/4 cookie dough into the base of the lined cake tin, making sure it’s compact. Press it right into the corners of the tin. Try not to handle it too much though, as the warmth from your hands could melt the chocolate chips.

7. Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Once baked, set aside to cool slightly while you make the cheesecake filling.

Method (cheesecake filling)

1. Drain the cashew nuts from the water and place them into a food processor/blender along with the dairy-free cream cheese, tofu, sugar, vanilla and cream. Whizz up on high speed for around 5 minutes until smooth. Add some more cream if needed.

I use a ‘Kitchenaid Powerplus blender’. It’s best to use a high-speed blender if possible as the mixture is quite thick, and you want it as smooth as possible.

You might need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.

2. Pour the cheesecake mixture on to the crust. Tap the cheesecake on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.

3. Press the 1/4 remaining cookie dough chunks down into the filling. Sprinkle over some more chocolate chips before baking.

4. Place the cheesecake into the oven and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake turn golden in colour. If it’s burning or turning to golden, you can cover the top of the cheesecake with some foil.

Test the cheesecake to see if it’s baked by jiggling the tin. If the cheesecake jiggles only a little bit in the middle, it’s ready. If it looks too wet, it needs more time in the oven to bake.

The cheesecake will look soft in the middle, but it will firm up whilst it cools down.

5. Once the cheesecake has baked, transfer it to a wire rack to cool in the tin.

When it’s fully cooled, place it into the fridge overnight, in the tin.

Don’t try to remove the cheesecake from the tin, as it will break apart. It will firm up in the fridge.

6. Once ready and set, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on to a serving plate.

Serve with a dusting of icing sugar, a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream or even more cookie dough on the side (optional).

To store:

Store this cheesecake in the fridge in a sealed container. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Best enjoyed within 3 days of making.