Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are a rich and sweet dessert bar, layered cheesecake studded with fresh blueberries on top of a graham cracker crust.
How can you ever go wrong with cheesecake? Would you believe me if I told you that for years I really didn't like it? I thought it was too sweet and dense and I just wasn't a fan. Luckily that changed, because I love making cheesecake bars. A whole cheesecake is nice for the holidays and all, but most of my desserts are bite sized finger foods that are great for parties. Or in my case, taking into work to my coworkers.
This is my final recipe for Blueberry Week. I think I've shared a decent variety of recipes, from drinks to muffins to cupcakes and cheesecake. Well, I guess I made a different variety of sweets. Next year I think I'll go with some savory applications of blueberries. That should be interesting! I'm thinking something with chicken or pork.
TIPS FOR A GREAT BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BAR
- Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature. If it's still slightly cold, you won't be able to incorporate the sugar into it properly and you'll end up with lumps of cream cheese in the cheesecake.
- Also make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
- Don't crush your graham cracker crust too finely. If it's too fine, it will crumble when you pick up the bar.
- Let your cheesecake bars cool completely before slicing into them. 4-6 hours will work, but overnight is best.
- Use a very sharp knife and rinse it off after each slice to keep perfect edges to each bar.
BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BAR INGREDIENTS
- Crust: graham crackers, butter, sugar, salt
- Blueberry Compote: blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch
- Filling: cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour
The worst part about making cheesecake is that you need patience for it to cool enough to be able to slice and serve. It's really difficult when this is just sitting in the fridge, looking at you and tempting you to eat them. But we persevered and they chilled enough that they were easy to slice. Of course, I took these into work and they disappeared pretty quickly.
Recipe
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 16 graham crackers
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Blueberry Compote:
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup sugar
For the Filling:
- 16 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough to hang over the edges for easier removal.
- Add the graham crackers, melted butter and sugar to a food processor and pulse until you have crumbs a little smaller than the size of a pea.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and use your fingers to press it down into an even layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place the baking dish on a wire rack.
For the Blueberry Compote:
- Combine blueberries, lemon juice, cornstarch and sugar in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens up.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the Filling:
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Then add in the sugar and mix for 2 more minutes.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first one is fully incorporated before adding the second egg.
- Add in the vanilla and flour and mix until just combined.
To Prepare:
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the pre-baked crust.
- Add the blueberry compote on top, in large dollops.
- With a knife, swirl through the blueberries and cheesecake mixture to create a swirl pattern.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the cheesecake is just set.
- Let cool on the counter for 1-2 hours then cover and transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 4-5 hours, but preferable overnight.
- Use the overhang parchment to lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Slice into 16-20 bars.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Blueberry Week Recipes
Breakfast
- Blueberry Sourdough Coffee Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Glazed Blueberry Banana Coconut Bread by Jolene's Recipe Journal
Drinks
- Blueberry Lemonade by Caroline's Cooking
- Blueberry Margarita by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Blueberry Gin Sour by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Blueberry Peach Smoothie by Family Around the Table
- Blueberry Mojito by Food Above Gold
- Easy Frozen Blueberry Daiquiri by Love and Confections
Sauces and Spreads
- Blueberry Refrigerator Jam by Our Good Life
- Blueberry Jam by The Beard and The Baker
Dinner
- Persian Blueberry Anar Salad with Cucumber by Palatable Pastime
- Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Burgers by The Spiffy Cookie
Dessert
- Blueberry Ebelshivers by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Blueberry Cheesecake Bars by Cookaholic Wife
- Blueberry Skillet Cookie by Crumb Top Baking
- Blueberry Lemonade Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
- Blueberry Pie Fudge by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Blueberry Buckle by Savory Moments
- Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Tart by Sweet Beginnings
- Vegan Blueberry Coconut Pie by The Baking Fairy
- Blueberry Lemon Curd Dessert Egg Rolls by The Freshman Cook
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