Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

You won’t believe but we probably ate thousand pounds of berries this summer, and it still won’t be enough! We were in store last weekend and if you know my son, he loves berries! He made me get big box from Costco along with many fruits. This week he is into baking again, so we decided to whip this recipe up together! Everyone in my house loves cheesecake, so I decided to recreate and elevate my cheesecake recipe. I tweaked my recipe and added few ingredients and whipped up Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake Bars.

You know how people say some desserts are just too pretty to eat? Yea, well this isn’t one of them! LOL. These are very pretty! but you HAVE to eat them! Why wouldn’t you want to eat something that has the most delicious crumbly crust with creamy luscious filling with blueberry explosions! These Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars are quick and easy to make. They are perfect for novice baker and does not require any special technique (water bath) when baking.

Crust – You can use graham crackers or any cookies of choice (Oreos or Coconut). At times I use almond or cashew flour If I need it gluten free. You can get creative and chose your crust of choice!

Filling – Today I just used blueberries, but you can add other berries if you like! I have added raspberries and strawberries also! They also taste delicious!

Makes 15 large or 20 medium bars

[Per serving Calories 250, Fat 11g, Carbs 30g, Fiber 2g, Protein 4g]

Ingredients

For Crust

1 ¾ cups of graham crackers crumbs

2 tbsp granulated sugar

6 tbsp butter melted

For Filling

1 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

30 oz full fat cream cheese at room temperature

1 tbsp lemon zest (keep 1 tsp aside zest for garnishing)

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 cups blue berries, (keep ½ cup aside for garnishing)

Method

Heat oven to 325F.

Line 9×11 inch pan with Foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray the foil lightly with cooking spray and set the pan aside. Combine graham crackers crumbs, 2 tbsp, sugar and butter; press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.

Filling –

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on a low speed after each just until blended. Gently stir in remaining blueberries power over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for 35-40 minutes or until center it almost set. Cool completely. Then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake bars from pan before cutting into bars. Top it off with blueberry and zest for garnishing prior serving.

You can store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.