No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

No-bake cheesecake bars that are so easy to make, the hardest part is waiting for them to chill!

Is there anyone on this planet who doesn’t love cheesecake?

Last year, I did a no-bake key lime cheesecake parfait and always wanted to try the same thing done as bars.  Only thing that stopped me was how would this keep its shape with no egg to stabilize it–like it does with a baked variety.

Perfect dessert–so easy!

I remembered this old no-bake cheesecake recipe that was in an ancient Knox Gelatin cookbook–my mother made that once or twice, but the texture was a bit too much like jello for our taste.  But I figured I’d try my cheesecake mixture with much less gelatin–just enough to hold it together, but not enough to make it like gelatin dessert.

The result was a huge success.  You’d never know there was any gelatin in this at all!  The texture is smooth and creamy, just like the baked variety!

Creamy and delicious No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Do It Gluten Free

This can also be made gluten free by substituting either gluten-free graham crackers or ANY gluten-free cookies for the crust.  I’m not entirely sure if the cans of pie filling contain gluten, but making your own topping with fresh or frozen fruit and a gluten-free thickener is just one tiny extra step–and probably well worth it!

You can also safely use Neufchatel cheese instead of regular cream cheese if you want to reduce the fat a bit.  I made the key lime parfait with it and could honestly tell no difference.  Don’t know what results you’d get using a fat-free variety, only that I purchased it by mistake once (I hate the non-taste of it) and tried using it in my regular New York Cheesecake and the results were a clumped up and runny disaster.  Personally, I don’t recommend it, but if you want to try–by all means.

The Recipe

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No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time20 mins

Total Time20 mins

Servings: 9

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 pkgs 8 oz each cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbs confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbs light cream or half & half
• 1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Crust:
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tbs butter melted
• Topping:
• 1 can 21 oz blueberry (or any flavor you like) pie filling

Instructions

• Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9 x 9-inch pan. Set aside.
• Place 1/2 cup of the cream in a microwave-safe container. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the cream. Let sit for 5 minutes, then microwave at HI for about 30 seconds or until cream is very hot. Stir well to dissolve the gelatin.
• Place softened cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla. NOTE: I found 1/4 cup + 2 tbs of confectioner's sugar was the right amount of sweet for me, but start out at 3 tbs or 1/4 cup and taste it, adding more if you need it--there's no raw eggs so you won't get sick tasting the filling!
• Add the cream/gelatin mixture and the remaining 2 tbs of cream and beat until light, fluffy and smooth (the secret to the great texture). Pour filling over the crust and refrigerate until well chilled and set.
• Spread desired amount of pie filling on top & cut into bars.
• Yields 9 servings.

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