Best dessert EVER

I've made this dessert twice now and barely got pictures the second time. It's a huge favorite in our house. In fact, my husband said it's his new favorite. So I thought I'd share. I, naturally, found it on Pinterest. So it is completely stolen and not a bit my own.

Recipe courtesy of Heat Oven to 350.

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate chip cookie layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup butter flavored vegetable shortening

1 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 T cider vinegar

1 large egg

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake layer:

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt and vinegar. Beat in the egg, then the baking soda and flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the dough into two equal portions and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl cream the cream cheese with the sugar until thoroughly combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. 

3. In a 9x13 pan, spread 1/2 of the cookie dough mixture evenly across the bottom. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the top of the cookie dough. With the remaining cookie dough, flatten chunks of dough between your hands into discs, and then place on top of the cream cheese mixture. (The dough discs don't have to touch, just place them near each other so they cover the surface as well as possible.) 

4. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is brown and cooked through. Cool completely (although it is heavenly when eaten still warm with a glass of milk) and store in the refrigerator.

I will admit, that both times I made this I was missing an ingredient and it turned out fine both times. The first time I ran out of vanilla and didn't get any in the cream cheese layer. The second time I ran out of eggs so substituted water in the cream cheese layer.

 Since strawberries are in season I'm eating them with almost everything. This was SO good. I couldn't get enough. Now I'm going to have to run a million miles, but it was so worth it.