All the flavors of cheesecake packed into convenient bars! My Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars have a rich and creamy filling with swirls of tart lemon and sweet berries. Although they look fancy, they're super easy to make. Serve them at your next party and watch them disappear!
If you're looking for a dessert that's delicious, easy to make, and will feed a crowd, then these Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars are for you! I originally created this dish when my husband Pete asked me to make a tasty treat for him to take into work on his night shift. We definitely like our late night sweet treats in the ER!
I love all kinds of berries and love creating recipes with them. I use them in everything from pancakes to salads to popsicles! Check out my post on more fun ways to use berries.
I've since made these bars many more times and they're always a crowd pleaser. They're rich and delicious and people will think you labored all day in the kitchen making them. But they're actually quite easy to make using some convenient items from the grocery store.
How to Make Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars
To make the crust for these Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars, I use ready-made sugar cookie dough. You can't get more convenient than that! If you have a homemade crust recipe that you love, feel free to use that but I was going for quick and easy with this recipe.
Once the crust is baked, I spread blackberry jam over the surface and sprinkle on some fresh blackberries. For this recipe, I use store-bought jam but if you're lookig for an easy homemade recipe, try my Blackberry Chia Jam. Then I pour the cheesecake filling on top.
To make the cheesecake filling, I use Neufchâtel cheese. It's similar to cream cheese but a little bit lighter. You can find it in the grocery store right next to the cream cheese. Using a hand mixer, I beat the cheese with sugar, flour, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and eggs until smooth.
To add some bright, lemony flavor to the filling, I use a secret ingredient- lemon curd. Lemon curd is similar to a custard and has a soft, creamy texture and a sweet yet tart flavor. It's wonderful spread on freshly baked muffins or scones. It can also be used to fill tarts and pies, or folded into whipped cream to make a delicious lemon cream. You can make homemade lemon curd by whisking eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter in a saucepan or double boiler, or you can buy it at the grocery store.
I pour the lemon curd over the cheesecake and swirl it into the cheesecake filling before popping the tray into the oven. As it bakes, the cheesecake rises, and melds together with the lemon curd and blackberries. It's divine!
All that's left to do is cut it into pieces and garnish with fresh blackberries. Then serve them to your guests and watch them disappear!
More Tasty Dessert Recipes
Recipe
Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- ¾ cup blackberry jam
- 12 ounces fresh blackberries
- 20 ounces Neufchâtel cheese or cream cheese (2 ½ packages)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup jarred lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In an ungreased 13x9-inch baking tray, break up the cookie dough. Using floured hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan to form a crust. Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
- Spread the jam evenly over the surface of the partially cooled crust. Set aside 24 blackberries for garnish. Cut the remaining berries in half and sprinkle the halves evenly over the jam.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add the flour, heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix. Beat in the eggs one at a time until blended. Pour the filling into the tray over the blackberries. Pour the lemon curd over the filling in 4 long lines. Using a knife, swirl the lemon curd into the cheesecake mixture being careful not to cut into the crust.
- Bake in oven 40-45 minutes until filling is set. Cool 30 minutes. Cut into 4x6 rows. Garnish each piece with a blackberry. Devour!
Ally says
Love the conveniences you used! These will definitely be made in my kitchen! xoAlly
sonaliruder says
Great! Let me know how it turns out if you try it- thanks!
Renee says
This looks soooo good!!!!