Blackberry Cheesecake Oat Bars

If you’re looking for a slightly sweet something with your morning coffee, look no further than these Blackberry Cheesecake Oat Bars. They are ideal! Layered with an oat crust, cheesecake center, fresh berries and an oat crumb topping. These bars are simple to put together, pack great bursts of flavor and keep well stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Store-bought energy bars have nothing on these hearty and homemade squares. Filling and fueling!

Ingredients for Blackberry Cheesecake Oat Bars.

• 1 1/2 cups blackberries — You can swap this out for raspberries or blueberries but blackberries are a Fraser house favorite!
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice — Lemon juice enhances the flavor of the fruit.
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup salted butter, melted — This recipe also hold up well dairy-free. Swap the butter for coconut oil.
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, divided
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 4 cups rolled oats— Rolled oat and quick-cook oats are the best for this recipe. Steel cut oat’s are not a good substitute here as they need a lot of liquid and cook-time to breakdown.
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon — It’s just enough to give a little warmth to the oats without overpowering with a strong cinnamon flavor.
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature — This recipe also holds up well dairy-free. Swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free alternative like Kit Hill plant based products.
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt — — This recipe also holds up well dairy-free. Swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free alternative like Kit Hill plant based products.
• Pinch of salt

Step by step.

The prep.

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line a square 8×8 dish with parchment paper and set aside. This is helpful for easy clean up and for lifting the entire bake out of the pan for cutting.

In a small bowl, toss the blackberries with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Macerating the berries helps to soften them and releases their juices.

Next, you’ll use a large mixing bowl to prepare the oat crust and topping. What’s great about this recipe is the crust and topping are the same! In a large bowl mix the melted butter, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar for 1 minute. Add one egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla, beat until well combined. Add the oats, cinnamon, cornstarch and baking soda. Mix until well combined.

Add all but 1 cup of the oat mixture to the square baking dish. Spread evenly throughout the baking pan and press firmly to create a crust. The remaining oat mixture will be used in later steps as the crumble topping.

In a separate medium bowl beat the cream cheese, yogurt and remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes. If you have a hand mixer, bust it out for this step or simply put some elbow grease into it with a whisk to ensure it’s nice and smooth. Add the remaining egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until well combined. Pour the cheesecake layer over the oats, spread to evenly coat the crust. Add the macerated berries (and their juices!) to the top of the cheesecake layer. Lastly, top it all off with the remaining oats to create a crumble layer.

The bake.

Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. If at the 35 minute mark your topping is beginning to brown but there is a small jiggle to the center, loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake an addition 5 minutes.

The cooling.

Remove the dish from the oven and allow the bake to cool for 1 hour in the pan. The toughest part about this recipe is waiting for it to cool! If you slice into it before it’s cooled it will completely crumble. Once the Blackberry Cheesecake Oat Bars have cooled in the baking dish, use the parchment paper edges to lift the bake from the pan. Move the entire thing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Slice once the bake has completely cooled into even squares and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. 

Can I make this dairy-free?

You bet!! I have made this recipe numerous times with dairy-free ingredients. Simply swap out the butter, cream cheese and yogurt for your favorite alternatives. I suggest coconut oil as a swap for butter, it’s mild in flavor and works great in this recipe. And as for the cream cheese and yogurt, I have had great success with plant-based almond milk alternatives to both. The brand I’m most familiar with is Kite Hill for these ingredients. Their products can be found at most grocery stores and while the selections may vary, the basics are all you need for this recipe!

Looking for more recipes with oats?

Here are a few to try:

BROWNED BANANA OATMEAL BAKE

CARROT CAKE CROCKPOT OATS WITH CREAM CHEESE YOGURT TOPPING

PB&J OVERNIGHT OATS

Lastly, if you make this Blackberry Cheesecake Oat Bars recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a comment! Above all, I love to hear from ya’ll and do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of your dayyyummm good recreations is my favorite!

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