Blueberry cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust

A blueberry cheesecake bar cut in half to show the cream cheese filling and graham cracker crust. Set on top of fresh blueberries.

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Blueberry cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust

These blueberry cheesecake bars have a thick, sturdy graham cracker crust and even thicker layer of cream cheese filling. Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan.

Prep Time40

Cook Time45

Total Time1 25

Servings: squares (2")

Calories: 247kcal

Ingredients

Fresh blueberry sauce

1 ½ cups blueberries about ¾ of a pint container, see note
¼ cup white granulated sugar
2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon lemon juice or water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Graham cracker crust

12 full sized graham crackers 180 grams
2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoon butter (melted)

Cheesecake bars

16 oz cream cheese (full fat) room temperature
6 tablespoon white granulated sugar
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 large eggs room temperature
1 egg white room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

The process & timing

First, take the cream cheese and eggs out of the fridge so they come to room temperature. This is important for a smooth filling (70℉ is room temp). Next, you'll make the blueberry sauce because it needs time to chill (I let mine cool for 15 minutes in a chilled bowl, then put it in the freezer while I made the crust & filling).
After that, you'll make the crust which should to cooled to room temperature before you pour in the filling. Make the filling while the graham cracker crust bakes, then assemble!

Blueberry sauce

In a small pan: add all of the blueberry sauce ingredients to the pan except the vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer for about 10 minutes, until it thickens and reduces slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract (it will lose flavor if added earlier). Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and allow to chill to room temperature.

Graham cracker crust

Preheat oven to 325℉. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, letting the ends come up over the edge of the pan. (This makes it easy to remove the cheesecake bars).
Crush the graham crackers - put them in a ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin until the texture is sandy - larger pieces can cause the crust to crumble. Alternatively, use a food processor.
Pour the graham cracker crumbs into a large bowl. Mix in the white and brown sugar, then pour melted butter and mix until evenly distributed. Mixture will looks like wet sand.
Press graham cracker mixture into an 8x8 pan. Flatten with the bottom of a measuring cup, packing it down and pressing firmly. Don't press them up the sides, it should just cover the bottom. Bake for 8 minutes at 325℉, then remove and let cool.

Cheesecake filling

Beat the room-temperature cream cheese in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) until it turns creamier, about 4-5 minutes. (Do not use a whisk attachment, which will add too much air to the batter). Scrape down the sides several times, as needed.
The final texture will seem half way between cream cheese and a buttercream frosting. Do this on medium-high in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer.
Add in the remaining ingredients (sugar, eggs, egg white, vanilla extract, and flour). Beat until smooth, about 1-3 minutes. It will look like a runny, creamy pudding.

Assemble cheesecake bars for baking

Pour the cheesecake filling over the cooled crust (or just barely warm) crust. Gently tap it on the counter to remove any visible air bubbles.
Using a spoon, pour drops of blueberry sauce into the filling. The blueberries will sink, that's ok. Then swirl the sauce around to distribute it and create a marbled effect.
Bake the bars for 35-50 minutes - until the internal temperature is 150℉. The center will likely still be a bit jiggly, but the edges will be set. Ovens vary dramatically, so keep an eye on it, but try to not open the oven more than necessary.
My toaster oven cooked the bars in 35 minutes, while my larger oven was done in about 42 minutes. I highly recommend an instant read thermometer for baking (once you start using one, you won't go back).

Cool & let set

The cooling steps are actually just as important as baking. Once they are done, let them sit on the counter to cool for an hour (while still in the pan). Then transfer to the fridge for at least 6 hours, but overnight is better. Their texture sets as they cool. (Transferring to the fridge immediately after baking can cause the center to fall).
The crust is pretty sturdy on purpose, so they can be hand-held bars. Because of this, they need a bit more muscle for slicing. I recommend removing the bars from the pan and then slicing with a large knife. Wipe the knife off between cuts so the bars remain pretty!
Store in the fridge - cheesecake is not safe to leave at room temperature for more than a couple of hours.

Notes

Blueberries: feel free to use a full pint of blueberries (no need to adjust the rest of the ingredients other than use heaping teaspoons of cornstarch). However, don't use all of the sauce, or the bars might not be as sturdy. Instead, reserve some sauce to pour over the top when serving!

Pan sizes:

Recipe is made for an 8x8 - double it for a perfect 9x13 batch
Also fits a standard sized 12-cup muffin tin (you may have a tiny bit of batter left over because you don't want to overfill the cups). Use cupcake liners.

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