These delicious blueberry cheesecake bars combine a shortbread crust, blueberry cheesecake filling, and a crumble topping into a yummy dessert that’s perfect for the summer!
1cupunsalted butter(slightly melted for 40 second in microwave)
3TBSgranulated sugar
¼tspsalt
Cheesecake Layer
16ouncescream cheese(softened to room temperature)
2large eggs(at room temperature)
½cupgranulated sugar
Blueberry Layer
2cupsfresh blueberries(or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained)
2TBSfresh lemon juice
1TBSgranulated sugar
1TBSall-purpose flour
Crumble Topping
1cuplight brown sugar(packed)
¾cupall-purpose flour
6TBSunsalted butter(slightly melted)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F and spray an 8" x 8" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, line with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper edges extend slightly above the edge of the baking pan so the cheesecake will be easy to lift out. Then spray the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray as well.
Crust
Combine flour, butter, sugar and salt in a medium sized bowl then beat until the flour is incorporated.
1 1/4 cups all-pupose flour, 1 cup unsalted butter, 3 TBS granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp salt
Spread crust evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula coated in non-stick cooking spray to help spread the dough all the way to the edges of the pan.
Bake crust for 20 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned. If the crust starts to bubble up, use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust.
Allow crust to cool for at least 20 minutes before filling.
Filling
In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until it is completely smooth. This is really important so your cheesecake isn't chunky.
16 ounces cream cheese
Beat in eggs and sugar and mix until combined, then pour over the cooled crust.
2 large eggs, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Blueberry Layer
Mix together the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar and flour then sprinkle it evenly over the cheesecake layer.
Beat together brown sugar, flour, and butter until it forms a crumble mixture. Use your hands to combine ingredients if your mixer isn't forming the ingredients into a crumble.
1 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 6 TBS unsalted butter
Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the blueberry layer then bake for 55 - 60 minutes, until the center is set.
Let it cool at room temperature for an hour, then cover in plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator for at least 7 hours. Cooling overnight is ideal.
Cut into 16 bars to serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Store leftover blueberry cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Enjoy them before then or freeze using the notes in the FAQs section below.Stir the blueberries with the coating ingredients gently. You don’t want to totally burst the blueberries or they’ll change the color of the batter from white to blue. My pro tip is to use a silicone spatula and stir slow and smooth.Sprinkle a few blueberries into the cream cheese mixture at a time rather than just dumping the entire bowl onto the cream cheese filling. They’re hard to move once they’re in the filling, and you want the blueberries to be spread out throughout the bars so every bar has some blueberry topping.Place cut cheesecake squares into a freezer safe airtight container and freeze for up to three months. You can use frozen blueberries in these cheesecake bars, just make sure to thaw and strain them well first so you don’t add the excess liquid into the mixture.