New York seems to be having a seasonal identity crisis. We had a few days of spring-like temperatures, and then fell back into something resembling winter again. No matter the weather, this time of year always has me thinking of light, fruity desserts.
This recipe came about as I was contemplating how to make a lemon dessert without it being so lemon-y that I wouldn’t like it. I’m more of a citrus-in-small-doses fan. I decided to add blueberry to the mix to make things a bit more interesting.
Let’s start at the bottom of all of this with the crust. I opted for a bit of a nontraditional route by not using a graham cracker crust. Instead, this crust is a tasty combination of butter, brown sugar, and pecans. That is then topped off with blueberry preserves and a lemon cheesecake filling.
This is a great recipe for customizing to your flavor preferences by using a different flavor of preserves, or by omitting the lemon juice or using a different juice or extract. You can also go a bit more traditional with a graham cracker crust like this one. However you make it, this is one of the easiest ways to get to your cream cheese-y reward. It certainly satisfied my hankering for something befitting springtime.
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
- pinch salt
- 1 cup blueberry preserves
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9″x 13″ baking pan.
Combine all crust ingredients using a fork or your hands. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
To make the filling:
Spread blueberry preserves evenly over slightly cooled crust.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Pour filling evenly over crust and preserves. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until set.
Cool in pan on wire rack for about an hour. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.
http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2012/04/lemon-blueberry-cheesecake-bars/
April 3rd, 2012 at 8:58 am
lemon in a cheesecake is one of the cleanest flavors; so refreshing on the tongue (and tummy)
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:39 am
Gosh. I’m such a sucker for cheesecake. And spring is the right time for lemon as far as I’m concerned… just YUM.
April 3rd, 2012 at 11:07 am
This cheese cake looks sooo delicious! I wish I could have a piece now. I like the fact that you used pecans with your crust. Great idea.
April 3rd, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Looks great! I’m pinning it!!
April 3rd, 2012 at 1:03 pm
delicious, you can never have too much lemon
April 5th, 2012 at 9:32 am
Wow – this recipe looks amazing! I’m excited to give it a try.
April 5th, 2012 at 11:58 am
These looks delicious! I can’t wait to test this recipe out. You come up with the best tasty treats. Thanks!
April 5th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Blueberry and lemon in a cheesecake sounds perfect
April 9th, 2012 at 6:35 am
I just made these and they turned out tasty. i have 2 questions…first it cracked in the middle, how can i prevent that? and 2 when i cut it it looked much more messy than your pic. How do you get nice clean lines? thanks
April 9th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Malissa, cracking is sadly a common occurrence with cheesecakes. Cracks or not, it’s still delicious. If it cracks while it’s baking, it may have been overmixed. To prevent it from cracking after it has baked, you can run a knife around the sides to loosen it a bit. The best way to get clean cuts is to use a very sharp knife that you (very carefully!) wipe off after each cut. Make smooth cuts, not a back-and-forth motion.
April 19th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
These mouthwatering Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are fantastic! The unique taste of these bars really made our customers to ask for more and of course we present them in most simple but elegant way by serving them in small white aqua plates.
April 21st, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Wow!
What an awesome cheesecake. I was going to make the below version but I think I will attempt your version instead.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/new-york-cheesecake-recipe/
Many thanks,
Sara
April 23rd, 2012 at 8:17 am
I love cheesecake, this looks like an interesting and unique way to change things up.
April 23rd, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Those look amazing! I can’t wait to make them!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:09 am
I’m already counting down to blueberry picking season, and planning my recipes…I think these might just make the list! Can’t wait to try, thanks for sharing!
April 7th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
So I am attempting these in Peru, where blueberry preserves are hard to come by. How do you think strawberry preserves would do instead? Is the lemon no good with strawberry or would they compliment each other? Thoughts…
April 7th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
Hi, Megan. I think strawberry preserves would be delicious!