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slice of vegan cookie dough cheesecake being pulled out of cake

Ultra Creamy Vegan Cookie Dough Cheesecake (Gluten Free Option)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 65
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Cheesecake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This ultra creamy vegan cookie dough cheesecake is LOADED with edible cookie dough balls in a silky smooth, tangy sweet cheesecake batter and baked on top of a chocolate chip cookie crust. Naturally dairy free, and NO eggs yet it’s so easy! The ultimate cookie lover’s dessert!

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust:

  • 1 cup with 1 tbsp removed (115 g) all purpose flour*
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted vegan butter, melted & cooled to room temperature 
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) organic granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (43 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1–2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk, room temperature, as needed
  • 1/2 cup (85 g) vegan chocolate chips*

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Filling:

  • 2 batches vegan cookie dough
  • 24 ounces (720 g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 ounces (228 g) vegan dairy free yogurt (such as Forager Project), room temperature
  • 1 cup (240 mL) heavy vegan cream, cashew cream, or a thick  unsweetened dairy free milk, room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 g) organic granulated sugar
  • 8 tbsp (80 g) arrowroot starch or cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 batch vegan ganache, for topping

Instructions

  1. Prep: Line a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the edges of the pan with a bit of cooking or coconut oil as well.  Preheat the oven to 375F.
  2. Heat-treat the flour for the cookie dough balls: Under the instructions for making the cookie dough cheesecake filling, for the cookie dough balls, take the flour amount and spread it onto a baking sheet. Bake the flour for 5 minutes to heat-treat the flour. Remove from the oven and set aside. This will specifically be just for the cookie dough balls in the cheesecake filling and not the cookie crust.  
  3. Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Add in the flour and sea salt, and fold to combine just before the flour is fully incorporated into the dough. Then add in the chocolate chips and fold the chocolate chips into the dough. Press the dough into the springform pan, and place the springform pan into the oven with a baking sheet underneath it to prevent any drips. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the crust turns lightly golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 350F. Keep the oven on. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
  4. Make the cookie dough balls: Follow the instructions for the vegan chocolate chip cookies, making sure to omit the baking powder and baking soda and leaving the cookie dough as a cookie dough. You might need to chill the cookie dough for 10-20 minutes in the fridge to make it easily scoop able. Once chilled, scoop the cookie dough into 1 tbsp sized dough balls. Reserve about 1/2 of the cookie dough for the topping at the end of the cheesecake. The remaining 1/2 of the dough will be used for baking inside the cheesecake. 
  5. Make the cheesecake filling: In a large food processor, stand mixer with whisk attachment, or large bowl with hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and dairy free yogurt until smooth. Add in the sugar, dairy free milk, vanilla, and arrowroot. Cream together again until smooth.
  6. Assemble the cookie dough cheesecake: Pour half of the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, and smooth the top. Sprinkle half of the reserved cookie dough balls for the cheesecake on top of the filling. Spoon the remaining filling on top, and sprinkle with the remaining cookie dough balls, gently pressing them down into the top of the cheesecake.
  7. Create the water bath: Be ready to move to the next step immediately after finishing this step. Make sure that you boil the 3-4 cups water prior to pouring the water into the pan. Pour the boiling water into the pan.
  8. Bake the cheesecake: Carefully place the baking sheet into the oven on the low rack. Then place the cheesecake onto the middle rack and quickly close the oven to bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the the top of the cheesecake lightly golden. The center is set but still wiggly. Turn off the oven, and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 10 minutes. The water should also be completely dissolved.  The cheesecake should still be very wiggly. This is completely fine and should be that way.This cheesecake will not seem cooked at all when you first turn off the oven. 
  9. Chill the cheesecake: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then place the cheesecake into the fridge to chill for 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  10. Serve and enjoy! When ready to serve, top with homemade vegan ganache and the remaining cookie dough balls! Store any leftover cheesecake in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Gluten free: Swap in a gluten free flour, like King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour. It’s my preference for this recipe!

Arrowroot Starch: make sure that your arrowroot starch (also called powder) is stored properly and is still active. Improperly stored or expired arrowroot will not work. You can also swap in an equal amount of cornstarch.

Water bath: using a water bath is extremely necessary for this vegan cheesecake recipe. Water baths are the key to a super fluffy and soft cheesecake that doesn’t dry out or crack in the oven.

Gluten free: Swap in gluten free 1:1 baking flour, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure to make this cookie dough cheesecake gluten free as well.

Find it online: https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-cookie-dough-cheesecake/