After picking blueberries last year for the first time, I was hooked. It’s the same thing that goes for every other fresh picked fruit or vegetable. There’s just no comparison!
And when we got home last weekend with our 7+ pounds of berries, I was in the mood for cheesecake. A simple cheesecake. No special pans or water baths. A creamy substantial cheesecake that could be cut into bars…
Blueberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars were born.
And they’re wonderful. The girls have asked each morning this week if they could possibly please maybe have just a small piece for breakfast. Because it’s topped with those blueberries, you know. :wink:
Just so you know, we never did eat the cheesecake bars for breakfast. But I was tempted. Definitely tempted.
We were at Rush River Produce picking by 9:30 in the morning. It was already unbelievably hot. And grossly humid. I’m not a huge sweat-er, but 20 minutes into picking, my brows were trickling. Yucko!
But all those beautiful berries dangling from row after row of bountiful bushes…really, there’s no way to hold back after your eyes lock onto them.
The girls initially weren’t up for picking in the heat. But snitching those sweet tart berries while they were filling their buckets, and then having a big box to show for their efforts…well, they were pretty proud that they stuck it out.
And when I decided to go back in for “just a few more”…this is what I came back to. My crew hanging out under the shade of an apple tree. I think that pic deserves a frame, don’t you?!
Blueberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 8 ounces good quality white chocolate baking bar (do not use white chips), roughly chopped (such as Ghirardelli brand or Baker's brand)
- 16 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving enough overhang on the sides to easily lift the chilled bars out as a whole. Spray bottom and sides of parchment very lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
For the crust:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and stir to completely combine. Press evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until fragrant and golden. Set on a wire rack to cool slightly.
For the filling:
- While crust is in the oven, melt the white chocolate. In a small microwave-safe bowl, gently melt the white chocolate in the microwave, in 10-20 second intervals – take care to not let it scorch. You can also do this over low heat in a saucepan on the stovetop. Set aside to cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and sugar, and beat on medium speed until just combined. Add the cooled white chocolate (you can place in the refrigerator for a bit if it's still warm) and vanilla, and beat again just to combine. Then gently fold in 1½ cups of the blueberries.
- Spread blueberry cream cheese mixture evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of blueberries over the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until cheesecake wobbles just slightly in the center, and the edges are just a bit golden. (If the edges are browning more than you like, and the center is still wobbly, place a loose foil tent over the pan while it continues to bake.) Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Then place pan in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to chill thoroughly, or chill overnight.
- Remove the cheesecake from the pan by gently pulling up on the parchment paper. Cut into squares/bars. For the cleanest cuts, wipe the knife clean after every cut. Serve with fresh blueberry sauce or dollops of freshly whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Here are a few more blueberry recipes for you!
- Blueberry-Coconut Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal from Marla at Marla Meridith
- Blueberry Streusel Scones from Dara at Cookin’ Canuck
- White Chocolate Blueberry Shortbread Cookies from Amanda at i am baker
- Mom’s Blueberry Tea Cake
- Blueberry Pot Pies
- Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream with Graham Cracker Sprinkle
I’m linking up with the following:
- Cheryl at TidyMom for I’m Lovin’ It (Parent Promise)
- Allison at Alli ‘n Son for Sweet Tooth Friday
- Robyn at Add a Pinch for Mingle Monday (Weekend Fun)
YUM!! Love blueberry picking!!
white chocolate & blueberries??? YES! sounds amazing.
xo
kellie
We love picking blueberries here in oregon and what a perfect treat to go with them!!
Thanks, Cathy. My family goes ga-ga over cheesecake – this was the perfect easy way to indulge in our fresh picked berries!
I love picking blueberries! I kinda sorta went a little bezerk last Summer and my kids and I picked 55lbs of blueberries. Needless to say…we still have blueberries in the freezer from last year. Blueberry Lemon Muffins are my daughters favorite, but she is a cheesecake lover so I bet she would love these too!
55 pounds of blueberries?!?! I can’t even imagine!
How delicious! I reallyyy want to go fruit picking someday! I mean, LOOK AT ALL THOSE BLUEBERRIES!
Thanks, Lynna. Picking your own is truly a treat. We planted a few bushes in our yard this summer, hoping to have some of our own in the coming years. They’re just too good!
Looks amazing!
Thank you, Joan! Hope you’re doing great! :)
Mmm such a treat!
These bars are stunning! And I’m so jealous of your 7lb berry stash!
That box of berries does feel a bit like uncovered treasure!
Look at all those gorgeous berries! I’m pretty sure if I had these bars in my house, I would eat them for breakfast. Because I’m super healthy and and loads of self-control. Love this!
YUM! I love white chocolate Brenda, I’m head-over-heels for these. They look so perfect!
Thanks, Cassie. :)
This blueberry white chocolate cheesecake bar is simply divine and gorgeous! What a fun activity to go pick fruit. Can’t wait to take my kids out for some fun!
Thank you, Amy. :)
Blueberries! rasberries! blackberries! Yummmm. I remember blackberry and blueberry picking as a kids. Back then we just ate ’em right off the branch…now, I’d like to try this tasty recipe!
This sounds amazing! I love those fresh blueberries!
Thank you, Jessica!
I love blueberry picking! I live about 5 miles from a blueberry farm and go picking almost weekly. Looks like I need to save some of my next bucket for these bars :).
You are a lucky duck! I would love to live that close to a blueberry u-pick. The place I like to go to, mostly because it involves great scenery and spots for lunch, is an hour’s drive.
7 pounds of berries in my possession would instantly make me crave cheesecake too! Can you believe I’ve never made a white chocolate cheesecake before?? It sounds delicious and I’m excited to give it a try. I love fruit and cheesecake together, so this recipe looks out-of-this-world yummy to me. Have a fun weekend!
Thanks, Julia. I like to make all kinds of cheesecakes, but often hear from people that they don’t want to invest in a springform pan or that they’re intimidated by water baths, etc. So I wanted to share something that hopefully will appeal to those people as well. Everyone was sad when it disappeared – we’ll be making more of it!
love this recipe….and your girls are right, the blueberries make them healthy :p
Thank you! :)
Oooo fresh blueberries are my favorite! these bars are to-die-for and definitely on my short-list!
Everything about this recipe sounds delicious!! Love all these blueberry recipes!
Um, yeah. I am obsessed with white chocolate and blueberries. This is like a dream come true!! Great job Brenda!
Thank you, Amanda Dearest. :)
Yay for blueberries! The bars look awesome!
Thanks, Maria. :)