Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

This is a very easy and very creamy cheesecake that is sure to please. I've done this as a reduced sugar version as with all my recipes. You can do a sugar free version by using stevia and xylitol. You could switch out the blueberries for raspberries, strawberries, or even chocolate chips. It is a very versatile recipe. I love the fact I can make this in a large 9x13 pan and cut it into bars or squares of any kind. If you wanted to make it into a nice presentation you could cut small squares or bars and place them on cupcake wrappers. I apologize for not taking a better picture. Enjoy!

Filling
24 oz. cream cheese, softened room temperature
4 eggs
3 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp stevia extract powder
1/4 tsp stevia extract liquid
20 drops lemon stevia, optional
4 to 8 Tbsp sugar or birch xylitol *see notes
3 cups wild blueberries, thawed and drained if frozen

Crust
3 1/3 cups homemade granola (no raisins)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9x 13 pan and line with parchment paper and set aside. To make the crust, add the granola to a food processor and pulse a number of times until you have crumbs. It doesn't need to be super fine. Add the butter and vanilla and pulse a few more times to combine. Next, press the crumb mixture firmly into the parchment lined pan. I use a spoon to press it out evenly and firmly.

For the filling, use the food processor or a hand mixer (I used a hand mixer and a large bowl), and blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, stevia extracts, sugar or xylitol, and eggs added one at a time, until smooth and well blended. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and smooth evenly. Sprinkle with the blueberries and it's ready to bake.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until set. Do not over bake. Cool completely. Refrigerate and allow to set for at least 5 hours. I found after allowing it to set over night the flavors and sweetness were really good. Lift the cheese cake from the pan using the parchment paper. You may need to use a sharp knife to loosen the ends a little and then it should lift out very easily. Cut into bars or squares and serve.

Notes: If you are used to really sweet cheesecake or will be serving it to those who are not used to a reduced sugar diet, I would suggest using the full 8 Tbsp of sugar or birch xylitol. I used only 4 Tbsp for us and after allowing it to set over night it was plenty sweet for us. You can blend up the filling without the eggs and taste to check for sweetness before adding the eggs. You can then decide if you want to add more sugar or birch xylitol. Remember too that the berries will add some sweetness and the longer the stevia sets the sweeter it will be.

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