When I told you of my growing obsession with cheesecake, I wasn’t kidding.  And it turns out, you weren’t either.  The response I get with almost any post about cheesecake is overwhelming – seems you all love it too!  I’ve been really digging the lemon-blueberry flavor combination this summer and I decided to try it out in the form of a cheesecake bar.  I searched around for a recipe but none really struck me so I decided to create my own.  Thankfully these were everything I had hoped for – light and creamy lemony cheesecake with sweet, juicy blueberries and my favorite graham cracker crust.  I brought the leftovers in to work and they were gone by the end of the day.  I’ll take that as a good sign :)

  • Yield 1 9x13 inch pan

Ingredients

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
8 tbsp. butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature.
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions

  • 01

    Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil.  Lightly grease the foil.  In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.  Toss with a fork until well blended and all the crumbs are moistened.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool and maintain the oven temperature while you prepare the filling.

  • 02

    In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream.  Beat on medium speed until smooth.  Add in the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Fold in the blueberries gently with a spatula until evenly incorporated.  Pour the mixture over the graham cracker crust and gently spread into an even layer with an offset spatula.

  • 03

    Bake for 35 minutes or until just set and the center no longer jiggles when the pan is tapped.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.

Source