Lemon Crumb Bars with Matcha Blueberry Cheesecake Filling

I'm going to be honest with you. This is one of those recipes that was made up on the fly because I needed to use up some ingredients in my fridge. You know the deal. You completely forgot there were ingredients you bought and now they are moments from going bad so you've got to come up with something inventive right away or else. And what you come up with is awesome. Every. Single. Time. It's like you because a super chef in the kitchen when you are under that kind of pressure, right?

Okay. I'll be honest with you. There have been a few times I tried to make something great off the fly and completely failed (I mean everything that could go wrong did), but most of the time it's awesome. At least, that's what my family's been telling me.

This is definitely a time when absolutely everything just fell into place and created something completely awesome. Cheecake crumb bar meets tea. Who knew it would be such a great combination? Well, I guess when you think about it, matcha cheesecake is delicious on its own with it's lightly earthy flavor. Add in some blueberries and a lemon crumb, and how can you go wrong?

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Lemon Crumb Bars with Matcha Blueberry Cheesecake Filling

Amanda Powell

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Ingredients

  

For Crust

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, cut in cubes and chilled
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ large beaten egg

For Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese softened at room temperature (in bar form, not from a tub!)
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey optional
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons matcha powder
• ½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the filling. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together and pulse once to combine. Add the butter, and lemon zest and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the lemon juice and egg and pulse until combined until the mixture resembles large crumbs.
• Place half the mixture in a parchment-lined 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Press down to flatten and smooth. Set the pan and remaining flour mixture aside.
• Beat the cream cheese until is is very smooth. Add in the sugar and honey (if using) and mix until it is well incorporated. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the vanilla extract, salt and matcha powder and mix until it is well combined.
• Place the blueberries over the bottom crust. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the blueberries and smooth. Sprinkle on the remaining crumble mixture and lightly press down to adhere to the cheesecake.
• Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, or until the cheesecake looks set (you can tell it's set if the center is only slightly jiggly. Remove from the pan using the parchment paper overhang and allow to cool completely. Once it is room temperature, cut into squares and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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