How to Make Delicious Blueberry Cheesecake Bars [Recipe]

I love cheesecake. However, I will admit that I don't always love the calories that come along with it. Well, the UK Cooperative Extension Office has come up with a relatively healthy alternative that's as deliciously sweet, but has much less sugar in it.

Here's how to make Blueberry Cheesecake Bars!

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

CRUST

1 cup graham cracker crumbs(9-10 graham cracker sheets)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

TOPPING

1 1/2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt

3.5 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups blueberries

1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)

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DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and applesauce together in a medium bowl until combined.

Evenly press crust into an 8-by-8 baking pan.

Using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, firmly press down on the crust to make it more compact

Bake for 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside.

Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, softened cream cheese, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and lemon juice. Fold in the blueberries and the lemon zest (if using).

Carefully drop spoonfuls of the topping mixture over the cooled crust and spread to make an even layer.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until it does not jiggle.

Remove from oven and let cool completely (about 45 minutes).

For best results, refrigerate 1 hour before cutting.

Store in the refrigerator.

Of course, the absolute best thing about recipes developed by the UK Cooperative Extension is the fact that they're designed to be healthy, feed lots of mouths and do so in a cost-effective manner. Here's the price breakdown for this recipe!

Yields: 16 servings

Serving size: 1 bar

Cost per recipe: $7.42

Cost per serving: $0.46