you're making mealtime meaningful.
You guys, get your ovens started. You’ve got some baking to do.
These Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars are easy to make and even easier to eat. They’re kind of like a blondie meets kolach meets coffee cake, but with some blueberries and cream cheese to round it all out. And they’re positively heavenly (if we do say so ourselves).
The base is chewy and sweet and just lightly flavored with vanilla, while the topping is bursting with pops of fresh blueberries accented by a sweet cream cheese streusel. Sometimes a combination just works and this is definitely one of those times. Those three elements play off each other so well… almost too well; these bars are irresistible.
They’re the perfect dessert to bring to a party or a bake sale, because they’re a little bit different than your standard cookie or cupcake. At the same time, they’re at home enough in the morning that we wouldn’t feel bad eating them for breakfast (and you shouldn’t either). They’re like the perfect black dress that you can dress up or dress down. They work anywhere, they always fit in, and my oh my, are they delicious.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars
Yield(s): Serves 6-8
1 hour
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- For the base:
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the streusel and topping:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups blueberries
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8x10 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat until mixture has lightened in color, about 2 minutes more. Mix in vanilla.
- Turn mixer to low and slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan and scatter blueberries evenly across the top.
- In a small bowl, make the streusel topping. Stir together sugar, flour, and salt. Add cream cheese and use your fingers or a fork to combine until pebbly, crumbly pieces form.
- Sprinkle streusel topping over blueberries and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean of batter, 35-40 minutes. Let cool before slicing into squares and serving. Enjoy!
Adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen.