Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Nothing says the start of spring, then blueberries with a touch of lemon. Plus, a little honey in the graham cracker is perfect.
Prep Time1 hour hr
Total Bake Time40 minutes mins
Chill1 day d
Total Time1 day d 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 286kcal
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
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°F(165°C or 170°C) 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!
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 570IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg