Blackberry Orange Cheesecake Bars

I started a Sunday dinner group with a few of my neighbors a couple of months ago. It's been a really fun way to get to know them, and it is always nice to come home from church and not have to make anything for dinner. Anyway, I needed a dessert for dinner group a few weeks ago and came across a few recipes similar to this. I was surprised at how well they turned out. They were gone by the end of the night. They are less heavy than most cheesecake desserts and the brightness of the orange really helps lighten the flavor and gave a good freshness. I think in the future I would add a drizzle of blackberry jam on top. The blackberry and orange melded so well and it took so little effort to make!

Ingredients

Crust from NY Style Cheesecake or 1 tube of sugar cookie dough

12-16 oz cream cheese (I would do more, but I used what I had on hand)

1 egg

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

1 tsp orange juice

1/2 -1 C blackberry jam

Make crust or bring cookie dough to room temp. Press into a 13x9 glass baking dish. Cook about 10 minutes at 375 until dough is barely cooked. While crust is baking, place all ingredients except jam in a bowl. Mix until smooth. pour over crust. Dollop two-thirds of the jam over top of mix and swirl in. Bake 25-30 minutes or until middle is set. Cool slightly. Drizzle remaining jam over top. Cool the remainder of the way in the fridge and serve.