Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

The minute I saw these bars on Sally's Baking Addiction, I knew I couldn't pass them up. To me, blueberry and lemon are quintessential indicators that spring has arrived, particularly when combined and in cheesecake form. Good lord.

I was so thrilled that this was such an easy recipe to follow--and there's even a little shortcut for the crust and topping: Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix! It's thick, buttery, and delicious--and the lemony cheesecake filling is amazing!! I used fresh blueberries for this recipe because I had them on hand--they seemed to work very well.

Please forgive the poor pictures--when I first sliced the cheesecake after more than 12 hours of refrigeration, it was so thick that it was impossible to get a nice piece to photograph! So I froze the cheesecake...and now everything looks all weird and melty. Sorry. I think the only solution is to make them again for a follow-up shoot :)

Okay, enough with the apologies. How about a recipe?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 pouch Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie mix*
• 2 large eggs
• 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened (You may substitute reduced fat cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp grated lemon zest (about 2 large lemons)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, not frozen

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan, or line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Generously spray parchment paper/foil with nonstick spray. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix using a fork or electric mixer. Stir in 1 egg until mixture is crumbly. Press half of oatmeal cookie dough into bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Reserve the other half of the dough for topping.

While cookie crust is baking, prepare cheesecake filling. With an electric handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, 1 egg, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until creamy. Make sure there are no hidden bits of cream cheese to ensure that the mixture is luscious and smooth. 

Remove cookie crust from oven and reduce heat to 325. Pour the lemon cheesecake filling over the hot cookie crust. Sprinkle the blueberries on top and gently press them down. Crumble the reserved oatmeal cookie dough over the blueberries.

Bake for 35 minutes until the top is lightly browned. The cheesecake filling will slightly jiggle in the center. Allow bars to cool completely and chill for at least 3 hours before cutting. I chilled mine in the refrigerator overnight. I highly suggest chilling them for up to 12 hours, which allows the bars to be cut easily.

*If you prefer to make your own Oatmeal Cookie crust, Sally was kind enough to provide a recipe, which follows below:

Homemade Oatmeal Cookie Base

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

In a large bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and oats. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix to combine. Continue with the recipe above.