Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Preheat oven to 325F. Spray a 9" square baking pan with cooking spray and line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough extra to extend over the sides.

Combine all the ingredients for the crust in the bowl of your food processor and process until well combined. The mixture should hold together when squeezed firmly.

If you feel a little bit more moisture is needed, add a little bit more applesauce, one tablespoon at a time, until desired texture is achieved.

Transfer to reserved baking pan and press firmly to the bottom to form a crust.

Bake for 6 minutes and set pan on wire rack to cool.

In a heavy bottom saucepan, whisk together evaporated milk and date paste until smooth and well combined.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then simmer over low heat until you are left with a thick and creamy caramel-like mixture, about 10 minutes. Make sure you stir often so the mixture doesn't attach to the bottom of the pan.

Let caramel cool for at least 30 minutes and whisk in protein powder, stirring delicately until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor (no need to wash it at this point), add date paste, coconut oil and vanilla extract and process until well incorporated.

Add spelt flour, almond meal, baking powder and protein powder. Mix until just incorporated then pulse in carob chips.

Roll cookie dough into 30 little balls and set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor (this time you do want to wash it) add cream cheese and cottage cheese and process until smooth. Add eggs, honey, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Resume processing until well blended.

Save about ¼ cup Dulce de Leche and pour the rest all over the reserved crust. Delicately pour the cheese filling right over the caramel. It might help to pour the cheese mixture over a large spoon to sort of "break its fall" and prevent the caramel from rising to the top.

Spread the cheese mixture evenly and delicately place the reserved cookie dough balls on top of it.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until set. Shut the oven down, crack the door open and leave the bars in until they are cool enough to be handled with your bare hands. Set them on a wire rack until they reach room temperature then transfer to the fridge until completely cool.

Melt the carob chips in a double boiler or in the microwave (use very low power). Add about ½ tsp of coconut oil if necessary to make chocolate smooth and "drizzlable".

Drizzle over top of bars then drizzle reserved "Dulce de Leche". The easiest way to do this is to use a small squeeze bottle, but you can also use a pastry bag or a Ziploc type bag (pierce a little hole in one of the corners and use pretty much as you would a pastry bag).

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into 16 individual bars and resist the urge to eat them all...