When I told you of my growing obsession with cheesecake, I wasn’t kidding.  And it turns out, you weren’t either.  The response I get with almost any post about cheesecake is overwhelming – seems you all love it too!  I’ve been really digging the lemon-blueberry flavor combination this summer and I decided to try it out in the form of a cheesecake bar.  I searched around for a recipe but none really struck me so I decided to create my own.  Thankfully these were everything I had hoped for – light and creamy lemony cheesecake with sweet, juicy blueberries and my favorite graham cracker crust.  I brought the leftovers in to work and they were gone by the end of the day.  I’ll take that as a good sign :)

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
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Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
8 tbsp. butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature.
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil.  Lightly grease the foil.  In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.  Toss with a fork until well blended and all the crumbs are moistened.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool and maintain the oven temperature while you prepare the filling.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream.  Beat on medium speed until smooth.  Add in the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Fold in the blueberries gently with a spatula until evenly incorporated.  Pour the mixture over the graham cracker crust and gently spread into an even layer with an offset spatula.

Bake for 35 minutes or until just set and the center no longer jiggles when the pan is tapped.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving.

Source: Annie original