I love baking with fresh blueberries, don’t you? They undergo a magical transformation when exposed to heat that makes them turn that beautiful color and burst on impact. The other day I knew I wanted to bake something for National Cheesecake Day, I mean, I’m kind of obsessed with cheesecake. Instead of doing something with chocolate or candies, I decided to use the fresh blueberries I had in my refrigerator. Stephen loves blueberry truffles so I figured he’d really enjoy these bars. I started off with a traditional graham cracker crust, then filled it with a vanilla cheesecake, topped it with those delicious berries and then cover it with a layer of sugary buttery crumble. Perfection! These bars scream summer to me! I think they’d be great with mixed berries or even peaches too! I know we’ll be eating a few of these to celebrate, how about you?! For more cheesecake inspiration, click here!
Print Recipe
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 12 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla - OR vanilla bean paste
For the Blueberries
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh blueberries - rinsed and patted dry
For the Crust
- 10 graham crackers - finely crushed
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp butter - melted
For the Crumble Topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 7 tbsp butter - cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8 square baking pan* with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on at least 2 sides for easy removal.
- In a medium size mixing bowl combine crust ingredients, then spread into prepared pan, creating an even layer. I pressed mine flat with the bottom, of a measuring cup. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool while preparing the remaining components.
- Â In a small mixing bowl, combine all blueberry ingredients, toss gently to combine, set aside.
- Â In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for crumble topping. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse, set aside.
-  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth. NOTE: it’s really important that the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs are at room temperature, otherwise you’ll end up with a clumpy batter! With mixing speed on low, add vanilla, salt and one egg. Mix until combined, then add the remaining egg, mixing until incorporated.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the baked (and slightly cool) crust. Spread evenly with a spatula. Carefully place blueberry mixture over top, evenly covering the cheesecake. Finally, top with crumble. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cheesecake has set and the crumble is lightly golden brown in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1½ hours or until it reaches room temperature. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before removing, cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
NOTE: *The pan will be completely full almost to the top, so make sure it’s 2″ in height! Also, this can be baked in a 9″ round cheesecake pan… although the baking time may vary and the result will be a thinner cheesecake. I have not yet tried this, so I can’t give exact time amounts.
Nutrition
Serving: 12g | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 812IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg
Love these so much!
Daaaaaang, those look GOOD!
Fresh blueberries are perfect in cheesecake! Love that you topped these bars with a buttery crumble!
Making these today! They look fab! 🙂
Have you used frozen berries in this recipe? I am seeing this in January! Looks/sounds wonderful!
I haven’t, but I think they’d work just fine! Let me know how the turn out!
Can you tell me the measurement for the 10 graham crackers…is it a whole cup once they are crushed?
It’s approximately 1 1/4c.
Came out delicious and perfect. I used raspberry and blackberry. Wish I could post a picture of it. Thanks!
Oooh, I love the idea of raspberries and blackberries! Sounds delicious! You can always email me the picture at [email protected] and I will post it and let you know 🙂
Made this for mother’s day and it turned out fantastic!
Yay! Thanks for giving it a try!
Can you use vanilla extract or do you have to use vanilla paste ?
You can definitely use extract!
These were delicious!! Thank you for the recipe.
I made them with strawberries and they were a BIG HIT!!
Did you do anything different when using the strawberries? I made the blueberry version and it was amazing! Now I want to try strawberries????
Hi Amanda! It should be the same thing with strawberries. Just cut them into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces 🙂
Hi Natalie,
Do you think I can bake this recipe in a 9 x 13 pan by doubling the recipe or do adjustments to the amounts need to be made?
Hi Laura! I think doubling it would work just fine, you shouldn’t need to make any adjustments. Just keep an eye on them as they bake… they could take a few minutes longer. Enjoy 🙂
Did you end up doubling and if so how did it turn out? Was thinking of doing the same…
I just made this, well it’s in the oven now. Do you keep it set at 325?
Yep!
Will these bars be fine 3 days after making them? I want to make ahead of time for Christmas day.
Hi LeeAnn! The crumble won’t be as crisp, but they should be fine 🙂
Natalie, I just tried your recipe and it’s a keeper! I love the blend of tastes and textures. These bars go down a little too easy!
Haha! I know exactly what you mean, I love cheesecake!! Thanks for your sweet comment 🙂
Hi! I had to try your receipe, since it sounded amazing! Was it just with me or does the cheesecake mixture gets extremely runny? Did everything you wrote on low speed.. It’s in the oven now, but my layers did sink a lot.. can’t wait to try it though! It already smells good!
My cheesecake mix is runny too… I’ve never worked with a runny cheesecake mixture! I hope I’m doing this right. I know it’s taste great even if it doesn’t look good!
These were fantastic and they went fast! I will absolutely be making these again!Â
So happy to hear that! Thanks Tara!!
Made these yesterday for a get together at our house, they were a huge hit! They have moved right to the top of my husbands “fav dessert list”! I tried to attach a pic, but I don’t think it’s possible.Â
Only tip is to cut them before removing them out of the pan. I made a double batch and the first one I took out of the pan to cut and that ended up to be a mess. 2nd batch I cut, then removed and they looked perfect!Â
Great tip Kari! Glad they were a huge hit 🙂
And you can always email me at [email protected] with a picture. I’ll share it here on the blog in my next reader roundup 🙂
These are the best dessert I ever tasted! YUM
I am new to your website and am very impressed! I am chilling the cheesecake bars as I speak and they look impressive! There are so many new recipes I am going to have to try! Your photos are beautiful. Thank you!
I have to make this cheesecake in advance. Will this be ok in the fridge for 5 days?
The topping may get a little soft, but other than that, yes, it should be ok.
Can I substitute the sour cream for something else or just leave it out totally? I have everything else and would like to make them but can’t get to the store right now. Thanks!
You can swap it for full-fat Greek yogurt.