Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

One of my favorite "foodie moments" is when kids are eating blueberries. Completely shameless with their little purple smiles and fingers. :) I smile as I remember those good ol' days. The berries are still as sweet as I remember them so many years ago - but my shamelessness has dissipated, and I prefer to keep my face clean.

One thing that has not dissipated is my love for berries. All types - from blackberries to blueberries to strawberries. This recipe for Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Bars is for the kid that is still in all of us - even if it's just a little bit. Even to this day, a taste of a berry will take me back to being young, picking berries off the bushes at my Grandma's house - eating them as we went, unwashed and all!

I was in need of this comfort dish - so I headed to Smart & Final to pick up the ingredients I needed - frozen blueberries, graham crackers, cream cheese, sugar and eggs.

Smart & Final's brand, First Street, is not only a great price - it also great quality. If I am shopping at Smart & Final, I will buy their First Street brand if possible - it is by far, one of the best values I have found while grocery shopping.

This week Smart & Final has their First Street Frozen Blueberries on sale as part of National Frozen Food Month. If you purchase $40 in participating frozen food items, you will receive a $10 coupon off your next purchase. How great is that?

The 2lb bag of First Street Frozen Blueberries is enough for this recipe, plus some. It works out in our house perfectly since we have two little ones that love blueberries - and of course I love to see them with their little purple smiles and fingers. :)

This recipes calls for frozen blueberries - no need to thaw them, that would take away from the "Easy" part of the recipe. ;)

You can also use the blueberry topping portion of this recipe as pie filling - just double the recipe, maybe add a bit more sugar, and it will be enough for one whole Blueberry Pie!

This is what mine looked like before putting into the oven - remember, it does not need to look perfect, so have fun with it!

Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
2 cups First Street Frozen Blueberries
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
3 cups graham crackers, crushed
½ cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
32oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs

Directions
1. Heat oven to 325, line 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper
2. Add First Street Frozen Blueberries in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 7 minutes or until blueberries have begun to thaw and exude juices. Stir in sugar until well combined, cook for an additional 5 minutes or until starts to bubble – stirring occasionally
3. Mix together corn starch and water to form a paste, add to blueberry mixture and remove from heat – stirring occasionally to release heat and allow to cool down a bit faster
4. Combine graham crackers, butter, sugar and brown sugar. Press into bottom of baking pan
5. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time until mixture is smooth
6. Pour cream cheese mixture over graham cracker crust, top with dollops of blueberry topping. Slowly pull a table knife through the dollops of blueberry to make pretty designs. ;)
7. Bake for 50 minutes or until the center is set
8. Let cool, cut into bars and enjoy!!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #sfsmarties - All opinions are my own, thanks for reading. :)