Lemony Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Who doesn't love cheesecake?? These are sweet bars that don't have the typical graham cracker crust that is loaded with butter. The blueberries and creamy filling are quite yummy.








Ingredients:

Crust
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole wheat flour but whole wheat pasty flour has more starch and lower gluten content. It's also supposed to produce a fluffier batter.)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling
12 ounces of reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)*
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 large eggs
4 tsp freshly grated lemon zest *
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups fresh or partially thawed frozen blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. To make the crust: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, oil, and sugar with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Use a piece of plastic wrap to press it into an even layer.
3. Bake the crust, uncovered, until puffed and starting to brown around the edges, about 20 minutes.
4. To make the cream cheese filling: Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Beat or process until smooth. Spread the blueberries over the crust. Pour the cream cheese batter over the blueberries, spreading evenly.
5. Bake the bars until the filling has set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 24 bars with a sharp knife that has been coated with nonstick spray. One serving is 1 bar. The bars will keep, covered in the refridgerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Note: Neufchatel is 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese. I combined this with part of a fat free cream cheese to make my bars. The 4 tsp of lemon zest is roughly one lemon and I used a cheese grater with the small grating side to zest the lemon.

Nutritional Facts:
Per Serving: 140 calories, 3 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 6 g total fat, 3 g sat fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium

Source: Magic Foods Book again.