Ultra Creamy Vegan Cookie Dough Cheesecake (Gluten Free Option)

Steps

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. 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.  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. 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.