HOLY lemon blackberry cheesecake bars...

I swear the heavens opened up and the angels sang down upon me when I tasted my first bite of these heavenly treats.

I sorta stumbled into this recipe while trying to find a new lemon bar recipe to take to my family 4th of July BBQ, it was an accident miracle that I found this.. because it was loved by every person that tried them, which can be hard to do when feeding a big group of people! Everyone was mad that I didn't bring more, but lets be real here.. I tried one bite and ended up putting half the batch back in my fridge to safe for ourselves. #noshame

But as a fair warning: this is NOT a quick throw it together recipe. It is a process; one that promises to pay off though!

What you need:

For the crust

• 12 sheets graham crackers, pulsed until crumbled in a food processor (about 2 cups crumbs)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the blackberry puree

• 6 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
• ¼ cup granulated white sugar
• ¼ cup water

For the cheesecake

• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• 3  lemons worth of zest 
• ¼ish cup fresh lemon juice (just use the lemon juice from the 3 zested lemons)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Here we go:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9"x9" glass pan. Using a food processor, pulse the cookies until they are completely broken down into a fine crumb and add the sugar and melted butter. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is like wet sand. Dump into the pan and press firmly into the bottom. Bake for 8-10 minutes for a nice golden color. Remove to cool.

In a small saucepan on medium low heat mix together the blackberries, sugar and water. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the blackberries are completely broken down. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and with a silicone spatula press through all the liquid, disposing the solids.

Lower the temperature of the oven to 325ºF and bring water to boil in a teakettle or in a medium sized sauce pan on on the stove.

In the bowl of your stand mixer or using a hand mixer with a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese sugar and lemon zest until light and airy about 3-4 minutes. Then add the sour cream and eggs one at a time until well combined.

Scrape the bowl, making sure everything is completely incorporated. Add the lemon juice and salt. Mix to combine. Scrape everything together again and pour into the prepared pan.

Smooth the top of the cheesecake batter with a spatula and drizzle the blackberry puree on top of the cheesecake. With a skewer or toothpick, make a swirl pattern. Place the square pan into a larger pan and put both into the oven. Pour the boiling water into the larger pan so that it reaches about halfway up. BE CAREFUL, this is the scariest part of the whole process. 

Bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly. Remove and let cool completely (about two hours) before removing from the pan. 

I fully owe my happiness to "The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen" I adapted the recipe slightly, because the original recipe wasn't quite as lemony as I wanted, but would have never know of such greatness if it weren't for her! 

There you have it my lovelies!

What is your favorite way to use lemons, sweets or savory dishes?