Summer and berries go hand in hand. It’s hard to beat picking your own fresh from the garden, the neighbour’s garden or your local pick-your-own orchard.
Blueberries. Hmm. I have a blueberry bush. It happens to be on a fence line that neighbours a herd of several hundred dairy cows. While they are only in our adjoining field every month or so, and much welcomed visitors may I add, they tend to gravitate to any green lusciousness within neck stretching distance. While content to munch on the bush more-so than the berries, it does leave me somewhat depleted of a harvest of my own.
Last year I discovered my local grower in Ohaupo and gathered a wonderful haul. I’ve made untold smoothies and muffins, a batch of Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt, a delicious Blueberry Vinaigrette and now have another blueberry recipe for my arsenal.
Found in our local Ohaupo Community News, a perfectly stapled notebook that gets delivered every-so-often down rural lanes, was a recipe too delicious not to try. Unfortunately I can’t credit the writer as they weren’t named (although will update this blog when I can track them down), but here is the recipe in the meantime!
Note: the brownie mix and the cheesecake topping is very runny – don’t be concerned.
Blueberry Cheesecake Brownies
Makes: 20
Ingredients
- 200g dark cooking chocolate
- 125g butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 3/4 cup flour
- 250g cream cheese
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups blueberries (fresh or defrosted)
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 33cm x 22cm x 5cm baking tin with grease-proof baking paper.
- Brownie Base: melt chocolate and butter together, stirring well to combine. Cool then whisk in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour until just combined. Spread mixture into baking tin.
- Cheesecake Topping: beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, add lemon juice, vanilla essence and salt. Fold in flour and dollop spoonfuls of the topping over the uncooked brownie base. Use the back of a spoon to smooth it evenly. Scatter blueberries over the cream cheese topping then sprinkle fruit with sugar.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is puffed and pale golden. Test with a skewer to ensure it comes out with crumbs sticking to it. Don’t overcook.
- Cool then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Sprinkle with icing sugar (optional), cut into small squares.
