It’s no secret we love desserts here at 12 Tomatoes. Everything from Chocolate Cherry Brownies to Peanut Butter Tandy Cake, and even unique recipes like this Pecan Cream Pie. As amazing as all of those recipes are, I personally believe there’s always a new favorite dessert right around the corner. And boy, did I hit the jackpot.

These Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Bars might be one of my new go-to desserts to bring to a party. Or to eat by myself. Yeah, they are that good. How could they not be? If you like cheesecake and sugar cookies separately, just wait until you have them baked together right in the same pan!

Now, some of you may be thinking that this recipe is a sugar bomb. Cheesecake is rich on its own, and cookies are sweet, even cloying at times on their own. However, I think you’ll find this recipe to be perfectly balanced. Part of what keeps these from being over-the-top is that the “cheesecake” layer doesn’t have any sugar in it. It’s simply cream cheese, an egg, and vanilla extract.

When this layer of cream cheese is sandwiched in between sugar cookie crusts, it’s the perfect creamy, rich, and tangy bite to compliment the sweet cookies.

What’s even better is that you only need five ingredients for these amazing bars. It’s made infinitely easier by using refrigerated cookie dough, thus leaving the cream cheese center and rainbow sprinkles for the remaining ingredients.

Start by cutting your refrigerated cookie dough in half. Press one half onto the bottom of a prepared baking dish, coving it completely. Then, whip up your cream cheese filling and pour it on top. Finally, break up the remainder of the cookie dough into chunks and sprinkle them on top if the cream cheese later. The chunks will melt and then rise to the top, creating a nice top layer of cookie.

Now that you know how easy (and tasty) these dessert bars are, why not give them a try for yourself?