These blueberry cheesecake bars have a little lemon in them, so my first thought was spring. I know it is only early March, but I love spring flavors and baking with fruit.
Since my blueberry topping is juicy, I thought it best to make bars and not the smaller bites I usually serve like my Key Lime Cheesecakes Bars or my Cherry Cheesecake Cookie Bites. Just so you know, the bars have the same sturdy crust, but you will want to eat these with a fork.
Ingredients for Cheesecake Bars
Crust
- 1 Box Pamela's Honey Grahams
- ⅓ cup Butter unsalted Melted
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces Cream cheese Full fat
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Condensed unsweetened milk
- 2 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ Tablespoon Lemon zest Packed
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon juice
Ingredients for Blueberry Topping
Blueberry Topping
- 1 pound Fresh blueberries
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Corn starch
I make the topping before or right after baking the cheesecake and refrigerate both overnight. Then, I added the topping to the cheesecake the next day.
Perfect Blueberry Topping
To a 2 quart pan, I added the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch and stirred to combine. Next, I used almost a whole container of fresh blueberries, a pound, and added that to the pan. (I saved a tiny handful to add to the top of the cheesecake before baking.) Bring to a boil and simmer and stir for 15 to 20 minutes.
You want the liquid to thicken, and some of the blueberries will start to break apart, but I like to take it off the heat while most of the blueberries are still whole. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then add it to a glass jar that has a lid.
After about 30 minutes, cover with the lid and store in the refrigerator until needed.
Baking Pan and Graham Cracker Crust
I line a 9" X 9" square pan with tin foil (I like the USA Pan). You can use an 8" X 8" square baking pan, and the only difference will be the graham cracker crust will be a little thicker and the same with the cheesecake. I also give a quick spray with PAM.
Make sure that two opposite sides have more extended tin foil that goes over the sides. You will use them as handles to lift the cheesecake out of the pan.
Pulse the whole box of Pamela's honey graham crackers in a food processor. You want tiny pieces. Add them to a bowl and top with sugar. Melt the butter and add it to the graham crackers. I am using a fork to mix it all together.
Add the graham crackers to the pan and spread them out to cover the bottom. Then press down to form a solid crust. Now for the cheesecake!
Making the Cheesecake
Mix the cream cheese and sugar until combined. Next, scrape down the bowl, add the condensed milk, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and blend. Finally, add one egg at a time until incorporated.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the crust. I jiggle and gently drop the pan so that if there are any air bubbles, they will float to the top. Gently add a few blueberries to the top. Not too close together, or they will sink to the bottom.
Bake at 325° for 38-40 minutes. It should move a little if jiggled but be careful not to handle it roughly, or you could split the top. Let it cool for thirty minutes before covering the pan and refrigerate overnight.
Assembling your Cheesecake
As the cheesecake cools, it forms an edge that works perfectly with adding the blueberry topping. You can add the topping before or after lifting the cheesecake out of the pan. Either way will work. Take the long sides of tin foil and lift the whole cheesecake right out of the pan.
Then peel the tin foil off of the bottom. Cut into bars on a flat surface. I got 16 squares, but you can make them any size you like. 🙂
Serve just how they are, or add whipped cream to the tops of each bar before serving. Enjoy!
Storage
I have a 13' X 9" Rubbermaid container that I line with either wax paper or parchment paper. After the cheesecake is cut into bars and served the remainder of the bars I place in this container and refrigerate. Since cheesecake should only be kept for 5 to 6 days this is a big reason I love this size. It is usually gone in 3 to 4 days.
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Barbara HallIngredients
Blueberry Topping
- 1 pound (453.59 g) Fresh blueberries
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Corn starch
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar
Crust
- 1 Box (1 Box) Pamela's Honey Grahams
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) Butter unsalted Melted
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) Cream cheese Full fat
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar
- ½ cup (153 g) Condensed unsweetened milk
- 2 (2 ) Eggs
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla extract
- ½ Tablespoon (0.5 Tablespoon) Lemon zest Packed
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Lemon juice
Instructions
- Take tin foil and line a 9" X 9" square pan. You want to extend the tin foil over one set of sides across from each other. You will use these extensions to lift the cheesecake out of the pan. I also give a quick spray with PAM to make sure the tin foil comes off the bottom of the cheesecake.
Blueberry Topping
- Wash the blueberries. In a 2qt saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice and stir. Add the blueberries and bring to a boil stirring consistently. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. You want the juice to thicken and have a nice glossy color. Take the pan off the heat and after it cools for 10 minutes add to a glass jar that has a tight lid. Let that cool for 30 minutes, add the lid and refrigerate.
Crust
- In a food processer, add the whole box of Pamela's Honey Graham Crackers and pulse until you have tiny pieces. Place the graham crackers into a bowl and add the sugar and melted butter. Mix with a fork until the graham crackers are moist from the butter.
- Add the buttered graham cracker crumbs to the tin foil-lined pan and spread them evenly around the bottom of the pan. Press them down to form the crust. Make sure there are no bare spots. Set the pan aside.
Cheesecake Filling
- Zest and juice one small lemon. Add the cream cheese and sugar to a mixer bowl and blend on medium speed for 3 minutes. Next, add the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and blend. I stop then to scrape down the sides before adding 1 egg at a time until the eggs are incorporated. The cheesecake filling should look thin and smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake filling onto the graham cracker crust. Give the pan a little shake to even the cheesecake filling out. Drop the pan gently to bring up any air bubbles. Take the handful of blueberries and sprinkle a few around the pan. Try to space them out, or they will sink to the bottom. Bake at 325° for 38-40 minutes.
Chill and Assemble
- The cheesecake is finished when you shake the pan gently, it will jiggle slightly. Set it on the counter for 30 minutes to cool. Then, cover the top with plastic wrap and allow the cheesecake to set overnight in the refrigerator.
- Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator. Now you can lift the cheesecake out of the pan, peel the tin foil off the bottom and fill the indented part of the cheesecake with the blueberry topping. On the other hand, you can fill it with the blueberry topping and then take it out of the pan. Either way is fine. I cut 16 bars from the cheesecake. Enjoy!
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