Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This cookie dough cheesecake is brimming with cookie dough and chocolate chips, plus it’s a totally no bake dessert!

Another day, another cheesecake! This time it’s a cookie dough cheesecake, of the no bake variety.

Because, as Nelly said, it’s getting hot in here. (I tried five times to use Nelly’s original spelling but my computer’s autocorrect was having none of it.)

Summer is in full swing here in Phoenix and I’ll welcome any dessert that doesn’t require an oven. . .especially if that dessert is positively brimming with cookie dough. Even if summer hasn’t yet arrived in your neck of the woods, no-bake cheesecakes are always a good idea.

Why you’ll love this cookie dough cheesecake

No oven required!
It will last several months in the freezer
The ingredients are all easy to find; most you probably have on hand already

How to make edible cookie dough

Beat butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, then beat in a few more ingredients (mixture will be dry) /b>
Beat in enough milk to make the dough cohesive, like the in second picture above

Add mini chocolate chips and fold to combine
Form the dough into balls a little bigger than a garbanzo bean

Baker’s tip: You need to use mini chocolate chips for the cookie dough because regular chips will be too big. If you only have regular-sized chips you can just chop those up a bit.

Pop the cookie dough in the freezer to solidify. (You can’t fold the cookie dough into the cheesecake filling if it’s too soft—it will fall apart, so don’t skip the freezing step.)

How to make Oreo cookie crust

This cookie dough cheesecake uses an Oreo crumb crust because more chocolate is always a good thing. However, you can totally substitute a graham cracker crust or a vanilla cookie crust or whatever you prefer.

Just process your Oreos in a food processor until they’re crumbs, then mix in melted butter and salt
Press the crust mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan, then chill

Baker’s tip: If you don’t have a food processor you can put your cookies in a large zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin until they’re finely ground. (I recommend doubling or tripling the bags or you’ll end up with cookie crumbs all over your kitchen.)

How to make cookie dough cheesecake

Start by beating room temperature cream cheese until creamy, then add powdered sugar
Beat in a few more ingredients until very creamy

It’s really important that your cream cheese is room temperature or your filling could end up with lumps of cream cheese in it—see below for tips on bringing it up to temp quickly.

Add mini chocolate chips and the frozen cookie dough and fold until distributed
Scrape the filling into the chilled crust and freeze overnight

Reserve some of the cookie dough to decorate the top of the finished cheesecake. I smushed my dough together and made large balls but you could just sprinkle the small ones over the ganache topping if you were so inclined.

How to make chocolate ganache topping

The topping on this cookie dough cheesecake is a simple chocolate ganache; it makes the cheesecake super decadent.

I like the addition of extra chocolate but if you’re pressed for time (or just don’t feel like adding the topping) you can skip it!

Pour heated heavy cream over chocolate chips and let sit for a few minutes
Stir until smooth

Spread the ganache over the cheesecake
Decorate with whipped cream and reserved cookie dough

Just chill to set the ganache and you’re ready to serve.

Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before you slice it or it’s almost impossible to get a knife through it.

If you still have trouble slicing it after half an hour, run your knife under hot water and that should help.

How to bring cream cheese to room temperature

The cream cheese you use for your cookie dough cheesecake really needs to be at room temperature; if it’s too cold it will not mix properly with the other ingredients and you’ll end up with lumps of cream cheese in your final product. Yuck.

But, even in the midst of summer, cream cheese takes its sweet time to warm up. So you have a couple options to bring it up to temp a little faster.

One option is to put it in a microwave safe bowl and zap it for three or four 10-second intervals, stirring after each interval so it warms evenly. Just don’t let it go too long or you’ll end up with warm cream cheese and that’s not what you want.

You can also leave the cream cheese in its metal wrappings and submerge it in hot water for a few minutes.

I’ll just note that letting cream cheese sit on the counter for awhile is still my preferred method—it will take about 30 to 60 minutes this way, depending on how cool your kitchen is; remove it from its outer wrappings first.

A few more cheesecake recipes
Snickers Cheesecake
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Coconut Lime Cheesecake
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Did you make this cookie dough cheesecake? Awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. And post a pic on Insta; tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your beautiful creations!

5 from 15 votes

slice of cookie dough cheesecake on a plate with the rest of the cake in the background

No-Bake Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Prep Time

1 hr 15 mins

Chilling time

8 hrs

This cookie dough cheesecake is a decadent and totally no-bake dessert. It's loaded with chocolate chips and cookie dough and everyone loves it!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Cookie dough

8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Crust

26 Oreo cookies
5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling

2 ounces finely chopped white chocolate
24 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips can substitute regular size

Topping

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
Whipped cream for serving if desired

Instructions