Satisfy your sweet tooth and indulge in the season’s beautiful blueberries with these nutritious + delicious Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. Naturally gluten-free with zero added sugar, these Cheesecake Bars are the perfect make-ahead treats for spring break beach getaways, staycations, or just a delicious dessert for an everyday indulgence without the guilt.
Make them at home (recipe below), pick ‘em up from FUEL Café + Market at Ochsner Fitness Center, or order ahead to stock up on a batch or two to keep on hand!
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars | GF, Grain Free, Low-Carb, No Sugar Added
Adapted from SwerveSweet.com
Makes 24 servings
Ingredients:
Shortbread Crust:
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup butter or coconut oil (chilled)
- ½ cup Swerve, confectioners
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-4 tablespoons cold water
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
- 8 ounce cottage cheese
- ¾ cup Swerve, Confectioners (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Two eggs (room temperature)
Blueberry Compote:
- 2 cups blueberries
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
Directions:
For the Shortbread Crust:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Liberally grease a 9 X 13 pan (if not, the shortbread will stick to the pan).
In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, combine almond flour, coconut flour, Swerve, and salt.
Cut cold butter into small pieces or squares. Pulse in a food processor or press into dry mixture with a fork until it looks like corn meal (it is okay to have some chunks of butter in your mixture – this is shortbread!).
Add two to four tablespoons of cold water to the mixture; it should begin to loosely combine.
Place in greased 9 X 13 dish and press dough evenly into dish. It will come together when you press it into dish.
Bake for 20- 25 minutes, until edges are brown, and parts of the shortbread surface lightly browns. Remove from oven and let cool.
For the Blueberry Compote:
In a saucepan, add blueberries, lemon extract, water, and Swerve and bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Once it starts to boil, bring temperature down to low heat, and let cook for 10 minutes, and stir occasionally (a blueberry juice should form).
Take a couple of tablespoons of the juice. Place in a separate bowl and mix in xanthan gum until combined.
Mix xanthan gum mixture into the blueberry mixture on the stove top. Allow to cook for 5 more minutes and thicken. Set aside. Let come to room temperature, or let cool a bit, and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool.
For the Cream Cheese:
Blend Neufchatel and cottage cheese in an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, until creamy. Scrape sides of bowl, and add Swerve, Confectioners, and vanilla until smooth (5 minutes). Add two eggs and mix until combined.
Assembly:
Set oven to 350 degrees. Pour cream cheese filling on shortbread crust until crust is evenly covered.
Spoon half of the blueberry compote randomly on top of filling, and then swirl with a knife to combine.
Place in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes until corners are lightly browned, and middle of cheesecake is set.
Allow to cool, placing in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and serve.
Note: You can make this the day before and serve the next day.
Per serving: 130 calories, 11 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 130 mg sodium, 17 grams carbohydrate (2 net carbs), 3 grams fiber, 3 grams sugar (0 added sugar), 4 grams protein
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Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD is a registered dietitian + nutrition journalist in New Orleans, and founder of Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit restaurant initiative. Tune in to her podcast, FUELED | Wellness + Nutrition and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @MollyKimballRD. See more of Molly’s articles + TV segments at www.mollykimball.com, and sign up for Eat Fit Wellness Bites weekly newsletter, here.
