Monday, June 23, 2014

Blueberry Cheesecake Squares



It all started with a picture. Did you know that Pinterest is a great place to look for recipes? A lot of bloggers pin pictures of their creations. But don't blame me if you come away hungry!

I'd had a concept in my head. Blueberries swirled in cheesecake bars. Sounds good, doesn't it? So I was looking around to see if someone had tried it. After all, there's a good chance that the blueberries would just turn the cheesecake bars a dirty blue.

When I looked, a picture of a blueberry cheesecake bar kept popping up. It had some kind of crumbled cookie bottom, then cheesecake, then glistening blueberries on top. And every single time I saw that picture and clicked on it, my computer flashed an alarm and told me it was a highly dangerous website and not to go there. Naturally, I assumed some clever person used a gorgeous photo to lure people to who knows what. A horrible cyber attack, maybe?

So I baked it. It's actually very easy. I used cinnamon graham crackers on the bottom, plain cheesecake in the middle, and lightly cooked blueberries on the top. The only drawback is that it does need to sit in the fridge a few hours before you can cut it.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

1 8-inch square baking pan

1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter + extra for greasing

2 eggs at room temperature
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice

16 ounces blueberries (I used frozen blueberries)
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
2-4 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the baking pan. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press into the bottom of the pan.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice together. Add one egg at a time, beating well. Pour into pan. Bake 25 minutes or until the center is set.

While it bakes, place the blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, and water in a pan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir and cook at a simmer about two minutes. When the cream cheese has baked, allow to cool on a rack until it begins to firm and the edges are no longer hot. Using a tablespoon, gently spoon the blueberries over the cream cheese in an even layer. Refrigerate about three hours before cutting.



Cook blueberries.

No fancy effects. The sun caught the shine on the blueberries! Magical.



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20 comments:

  1. And every single time I saw that picture and clicked on it, my computer flashed an alarm and told me it was a highly dangerous website and not to go there. That drives me CRAZY plus when the link takes you to an advertisement! I use Pinterest a great deal for work, but I also have recipes from this site which happily take me to the right place :D I could use a little comfort food tonight! Too bad I don't live closer to you ;)

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    1. Oh no! I hope everything is all right, Helena Georgette! Too bad we can't cyber send food yet.

      ~Krista

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  2. Wow, that looks absolutely divine!

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    1. Don't tell, Mark, but it's super easy, too!

      ~Krista

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  3. I really have to quit reading this blog before breakfast.

    I just happen to have 2 pints of blueberries in the fridge. I can't wait to try this!

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    1. LOL! That's so funny! Hmm, I think they might be good for breakfast. Cream cheese is dairy and the blueberries are super strong antioxidants!

      ~Krista

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  4. Looks and sounds yummy.
    Why two slightly different names for the recipe? One mentions lemon, the other doesn't.

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    1. That's what happens when you're typing one thing and thinking about something else. Eeek! They are Blueberry Cheesecake Squares!

      ~Krista

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    2. There we go. All fixed!

      ~Krista

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    3. Although they do have a little lemon in the cheesecake.

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  5. Are you trying to kill me? This looks so tantalizing, I can't concentrate. Thanks for sharing it, Krista. I must try it NOW.

    XO

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    1. My apologies, Mary Jane! What a rotten friend I am!

      ~Krista

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  6. Looks delicious. I really, really like the look of it. Almost makes me wish I didn't really, really, REALLY hate to cook and clean up afterwards.

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    1. Carol B, I'm not so fond of the clean-up part, either. But you know, it was an easy clean-up. For years, one of my kitchen mottos has been: Must be dishwasher safe. If it isn't, I usually don't buy it.

      ~Krista

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  7. My mom used to make something like this (for her bridge club!) but the crust used ground pecans. I may try this recipe but try to figure out how to do that pecan crust. It's perfect for summer now that blueberries are coming in.

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    1. Ohhh. Pecans would be very good with it. Just throw them in the food processor first, then add the graham crackers. Yummy!

      ~Krista

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  8. Very tempting! I will copy this and hope to bake it...and not eat it all, myself.

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    1. Nancy, I know that feeling. I promptly cut 2/3 to take over to my mom!

      ~Krista

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  9. Absolutely delectably gorgeous! Must must must make these. I'll change out the cookie crust for GF and I'm good to go. Yay! A new favorite. And no weird sites to click through. LOL

    Hugs, Daryl / Avery

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  10. Krista, I love Pinterest almost as much as I love your recipes and photos! Looks scrumptious and I was just talking about making cheesecake or something cool in this early summer heat, so definitely will be making your squares this week! Thanks!

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