Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (crust)
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (crust)
  • ½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter, very cold and cubed
  • 1 Large Egg, lightly beaten (crust)
  • 2–3 Tablespoons Ice Water
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages Full-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (filling)
  • 2 Large Eggs (filling)
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • 2 cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar (compote)
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water (slurry)
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • ¼ cup Honey (for finishing)
  • Powdered Sugar (optional for dusting)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
  2. For the crust: Pulse flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the beaten egg and pulse. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together when pinched. Do not overmix.
  3. Wrap the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  4. Prepare the blueberry compote: Simmer blueberries, ¼ cup sugar, and lemon juice until berries burst (about 8 minutes). Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened. Set aside to cool slightly.
  5. Remove dough from the fridge. Reserve about 1 cup of dough for the topping. Press the remaining dough evenly into the prepared pan base. Bake the base for 25–30 minutes until lightly golden at the edges.
  6. While the base bakes, prepare the filling: Beat the softened cream cheese and ¾ cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla and lemon zest until just combined.
  7. Remove the hot base from the oven. Carefully pour the cheesecake filling over the warm crust. Drop spoonfuls of the cooled blueberry compote over the filling. Crumble the reserved chilled dough loosely over the top.
  8. Use a knife or skewer to gently swirl the compote into the filling/crumble layer.
  9. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cheesecake filling is mostly set (a slight wobble in the center is acceptable).
  10. Let the bars cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, drizzle generously with honey. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before slicing cleanly using the parchment overhang.