Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 5 sheets graham crackers
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

• 8 oz. (1 box) cream cheese (or neufchatel), at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 small lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried
• powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9�5 inch bread pan, and line with parchment, leaving tails to allow you to pull the bars out of the pan later. Press and fold the parchment to make neat corners in the pan.
2. Prepare the crust first � in a blender, grind the graham crackers until you get fine crumbs. Pour out into a bowl, and stir in the 1 tbsp sugar and 1/8 tsp cinnamon. Add the melted butter and stir well to distribute evenly.
3. Pour the crumbs into the bottom of the baking pan, and press down evenly with the bottom of a flat glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, stir together the egg, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the room temperature cream cheese, and beat on low with an electric beater until the mixture is smooth. Pour filling into the pan on top of the crust, then sprinkle the blueberries on top. Cover the entire top with blueberries. They will sink about halfway into the filling.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F, or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan. Then place pan in the refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight to set.
6. When set, gently remove the bars from the pan by lifting the parchment lining. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar to serve.