Creamy, smooth, and studded with fresh berries! My blueberry cheesecake bars are not too fussy while having all the delicious flavor you expect. The perfect make-ahead dessert to bring to a party.
Hello, all.
What is it about dessert bar recipes that make them feel so much more low key than pies or cakes?
Maybe it’s the pleasure of filling a platter with a pile of precut bars. Or maybe it’s the knowledge that if there’s a problem with the bake (like a crack) you can cut that bit out. No cutting anxiety and no perfection anxiety. Win-win!
Take some lower stress levels and mix them with a truly delicious, tangy-creamy cheesecake then sprinkle in the some blueberries and you have today’s recipe! The perfect dish to bring to your next summer get-together and a great favorite here in our house.
What do you need?
- Crust – This is your basic graham cracker crust. If you use a sweeter type of cracker (or a cookie), reduce the sugar accordingly.
- Graham Crackers
- Butter
- Sugar
- Filling – For the cheesecake I use a mix of cream cheese and sour cream, enough sugar for sweetness, both lemon juice and the zest, eggs, vanilla, and plenty of blueberries.
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Sugar
- Lemon
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Blueberries
How to Make This
To make blueberry cheesecake bars first make a graham cracker crust. Next, mix together the cheesecake ingredients for the topping. Bake until set, then chill, and cut into bars.
1. Get Prepped
Heat the oven to 350F and grease/line the 9×9 pan you are using.
2. Make the Crust
This a standard cookie crust.
Using a food processor or a rolling pin and some muscle, crush up the crackers. Then mix them together with sugar and melted butter until all the crumbs are moistened.
Pour them into the pan and press them down as shown in the photo. Then bake until lightly browned.
3. Mix the Filling
Start by rubbing the sugar with your lemon zest. This will release the oils and give the filling a really round and pleasant lemon flavor.
Then mix together the room temperature cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix in.
Now it’s time for the eggs. Mix them in one at a time and nice and slow. You don’t want to add air into the filling!
Tip: Make sure everything is room temperature before you start. This will give you very smooth filling with no lumps.
Tip: It’s when adding the eggs where you run into issues with air bubbles and cracks. Just keep the mixer on low and don’t overmix and it will all be good.
4. Assemble and Bake
Sprinkle one cup of the berries on the browned crust. Then pour over the filling and smooth it out. Finish by adding the rest of berries to the top, pressing them in a little.
Bake at 300F until set but still jiggly. If you’re like me, and want to know for certain, use an instant read thermometer (I love my thermapen!) and look for a temperature of 145-150F.
5. Cool, Chill, and Cut
Take the pan out of the oven and let cool at room temp for about an hour. Then cover and put in the fridge until fully chilled, at least 6 hours.
Tip: Like all cheesecake, these bars are best made the day before so they have time to completely chill and set.
Once chilled, cut into bars and serve.
Tip: For clean cuts, wipe down the knife after each cut.
More Dessert Bars
- Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars – Easy and popular!
- Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars – Perfect for fall holidays
- Meyer Lemon Raspberry Squares – Tart and sweet
- Blueberry Lime Crumble Squares – One of our favorites
If you try my recipe, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Stay Safe, Annemarie
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 6-7 crackers
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- pinch kosher salt
Cheesecake
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 16 oz (2 packs) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with a parchment sling and spray with cooking spray.
- Mix together the cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt until the crumbs moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack while you make the topping.
Cheesecake
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.
- Rub together the sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is light yellow and fragrant.
- Fit a stand mixer with the flat beater and mix together the cream cheese and sour cream on low until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix in. Then add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in until just combined. Stop the mixer and use a silicone spatula to scrape the bowl and finish mixing.
- Spread out 1 cup of berries in an even layer on the crust. Pour filling over and smooth it out. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of berries.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it reaches 145-150F on an instant read thermometer. Remove to a rack and let cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
- To serve, remove from the pan with the parchment sling and slice into squares, wiping the knife down after each slice.
Notes
- Cracker Crumbs: To make the crumbs either use a food processor and pulse until finely ground or put the crackers in a sealed bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Ingredient Temperature: For a smooth and creamy mixture make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. Let them warm up on the counter for one hour (up to two hours) before beginning.
- Mixing: You can mix the cheesecake using a hand mixer. Just keep the speed low, supplement with a silicone spatula as needed to scrape the bowl and add extra mixing, and note that it will take a little longer.
- Gluten-Free: The crust can easily be made with gluten-free graham crackers or a similar type of cookie.
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