Blueberry Bliss

Concluding my "Inside Bbq Menu," consisting of Spicy Chicken with Avocado Sauce and Tri-Color Salad with Lime-Honey Vinaigrette, I made Tyler Florence's "Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars." I love cheesecake! I love blueberries! This simple recipe doesn't disappoint, with it's creamy, lemony, cinnamony, blueberryness, it's total blueberry bliss! Just remember that it needs to be refrigerated at least 3 hours before serving, so plan ahead!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Makes 10 bars

Ingredients:

For the Base

Butter, for greasing

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 graham crackers, (the whole cracker, not individual pieces)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 eggs

2 lemons, zested and juiced

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

For the Base

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease the bottom of a 9"x9" baking pan with butter. Then place 2 pieces of parchment paper, folded to fit, in each direction of the pan, like an X shape, pressing down at the corners. (This makes it easy to lift out the cheesecake after it's cooked and cooled.) In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon, and graham crackers until you have the texture of bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done, set aside to cool slightly.

For the Filling

Add the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with the blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed (as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down). 

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from the pan using the parchment lining and slice into 10 rectangular bars. Dust with powdered sugar and serve! 

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence.