Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Two recipes in one week!? Can you believe it? I have been cooking up a storm lately and I am proud of it.  As crazy as our summer schedule is with Eric coaching, I am finding that it leaves me with lots of time to try out new recipes.  I just had to share this little ditty that I whipped up last weekend because it was just too good NOT to.

With the abundance of blueberries that I have right now I have been on the lookout for new recipes.  Not being much of a fruit dessert fan or a lemon flavor fan, it took a really yummy-sounding recipe to get me to take the plunge and make it. I am beyond glad that I did, and I will make them again and again and again....you get the idea.

You can find the original recipe here here.

What You Need:

Crust:

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened (2 1/2 sticks)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 heaping TBSP lemon zest

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

Blueberry Filling:

1 to 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP lemon zest

2 TBSP lemon juice

Cream Cheese Layer:

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (at room temperature)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp lemon zest

1 TBSP vanilla

2 eggs

How to Make It:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom of a 9" x 13" glass baking dish.

2. Make the crust: Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until creamy. Add the flour and salt and beat until combined. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the greased baking dish and bake 15 minutes.

3. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling: In a small sauce pan, combine blueberries, brown sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until berries are soft.  Set aside to cool.

4. Once you get your berries going on the stove, prepare the cream cheese layer: Beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla together.  Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined.  Don't forget to stir your blueberries.

5. Spread cream cheese mixture onto the warm crust and smooth the top.  Dollop blueberry mixture randomly over the top of the cream cheese layer.  Gently pull a knife to swirl blueberry mixture.

6. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is set. Cool and refrigerate for a couple of hours until chilled. Slice, serve, and ENJOY!