Lemon Blueberry Bars

I miss not having my daughter at home.  As you learned a couple of weeks ago with my Washington DC post that she is there for the summer interning.  I miss not having her here with her mom and me but I miss her adventurous side in the kitchen.  Molly will try to make almost anything.  She has her sites that she goes to and when she sees something that looks good, she says let’s make it.  She saw this recipe somewhere and she said, let’s do it dad.  That was a rhetorical question.  One of the kids in the kitchen with me – doesn’t get much better than that.  These Lemon Blueberry Bars are good and tart!  I don’t know about you but I prefer my desserts as bars rather than cookies.  Do you feel the same way?

 

Ingredients (adapted from Tyler Florence):
For the crust:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup of graham crackers (we bought a big bag of already crushed)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I used more)

Directions:
Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.  Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners.  This will enable you to lift the cheesecake out of the pan.  Add the melted butter to a bowl filled with the graham crackers and mix until it is fully incorporated.  

Pour the mixture into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with a flat object – I used a ramekin.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, add the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to a bowl and mix until well combined using your hand mixer.  

It should have a smooth consistency.  It will not be smooth if your cream cheese is cold.  Pour onto the cooled graham cracker base and then cover with 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 is set.  

Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.  Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into square bars.  

Serve and enjoy!