Blueberry Farms and Cheesecake Bars

Sometimes things just work themselves into blissful cheesecake bars. Last Monday I was at Barnes & Nobles looking through the cake decorating books and magazines. Better Homes and Gardens has a special interest publication out that is a compilation of all the yummy brownies, blondies, and dessert bars any person could possible dream of. My blood sugar must have been low at the time because the magazine came home with me!

Friday on my way to a doctors appointment I saw that the blueberry farm down the road from my house had a "you pick 9a.m.-5p.m. sign up! Earlier in the week I had gone with my future mother in law to a blueberry farm in Ocoee, FL. Patrick my fiance wanted to go, but was working that day. So first thing Saturday morning while it was still somewhat cool outside we decided to make the trek down the road to the blueberry farm. You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day in sunny Florida! And I had a magazine with a recipe for coconut-blueberry cheesecake bars waiting for me back at the house!

We stopped to admire the wildflowers (reminded me of being little and playing outside!)

It was slim pick'ins because it is a little early in the season still!

Charlotte protector of the blueberries 

We had to hunt for them but we found enough!

Patrick and I figuring out who could finds the best berries! :) He won!

Until I found this guy!

Ok so the weather and the pictures are beautiful right?.... Now less about the BEAUTIFUL nature pictures that my honey took and more about these blueberry-coconut cheesecake bars!

Ingredients and how to:

For the crust:
1/2 cup butter ( I <3 land of lakes salted sweet cream)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground pecans (food processor+pecan halves = ground pecans)
1/2 cup coconut flakes (the recipe didn't specify so I used sweetened - yum!)
1/4 cup of sugar

For the Cheesecake:
2/3 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon of brandy or milk ( I had half and half...so I used that)
1 teaspoon of vanilla (I added more vanilla!!! A running over spoon of vanilla)
1 1/2 8oz packages of cream cheese softened at room temperature
2 cups blueberries

"Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat until it is the color of light brown sugar," the magazine said, but "Ain't nobody got time for that" I was impatient and mine still was the color of butter and I used it anyway! And they still came out delicious!  

Now time to get the pecans all ground up in the food processor! - so yummy. I heart pecans so much!

Mix all the dry crust ingredients together in a mixing bowl with the coconut flakes
and add the melted butter. Stir together and press into the bottom of a baking pan (the second batch I made I lined my pan with tin foil first).
I used a 9x10, 9x13 baking pan... something like that...
Bake in an oven preheated at 350 degrees for 8-10 mins

Now for the CHEESECAKE part!!!
Cream together 2/3 cup of sugar and softened cream cheese
then beat in  the vanilla. Next add the brandy or milk. Then slowly add the four eggs.
Mix until creamy and smooth! Then pour  the mixture over the baked crust and add the fresh blueberries over the cheesecake mixture!

 Put the whole thing back in the 350 degree oven to bake 18 to 20 mins.

NOW THE HARD PART!!! - IT HAS TO CHILL FOR THREE HOURS!!! - OMG!!!