This Summer's Dessert
Y'all Gentle Readers, I have found this summer's ultimate dessert!
LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS!!!!!!!
This dessert has everything*:
Summer berry brightness - Check!
Sunshiny citrus - Check!
Cream Cheese coolness - Check!
Buttery Shortbread perfectness - Check!
Streusel Topping - Check, thank you, Lord, Check!
If you have never visited the wonder that is Delish.com, oh, but you must! Here's the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake bars recipe;
I'll wait while you check it out, and then I will provide you some helpful notes.
If you follow the recipe exactly, you will have an amazing treat.
And, here are just a few ideas:
Instead of folding the 3 cups of blueberries into the cream cheese batter, turn on the mixer for 5 seconds. Let the blueberries break up a little bit, so that you get a taste of blueberry in every bite. This is Younger's idea, and I think it's a good one.
If you are absolutely crazy about streusel topping, try doubling that part of the recipe. My mom did that and thought the extra topping made this dessert even more delicious.
If you can't bear to leave out Summer's Other Berries, by all means, add them in. Lemony goodness goes with raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. There is room for all God's berry bounty here.
Also, I love that this recipe is for a 9x13 pan. It makes me crazy to do all that baking work for a measly 8x8. Now, you may be thinking that you just can't bake one more thing, that's it's been over 2 weeks since you've zipped on a pair of work pants. Have you considered The Dessert Fairy? This is where you bake something, pop some pieces in a plastic container, drive to a friend's house, place this yummy treat on Friend's porch like some fairy godmother from the Land of Covid, ring the doorbell, but don't run away; instead, stand 6 feet away and chat with your friend for 15 minutes. And if you want to put a cocktail in a jar, well, the Cocktail Fairy is always welcome, too!
*If you hear Stefon from SNL saying "This dessert has everything..." me, too.
