These blueberry cream cheese bars with shortbread crust are part cheesecake, part crumb bar—rich, buttery, and loaded with fresh or frozen blueberries. The creamy filling and crumble top make them an easy dessert bar that’s hard to resist.
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Featured Comment by Becky:
"Great recipe! Combines two favorites - blueberry crumb bars and blueberry cream cheese bars."
🤔 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Blueberry cream cheese bars with a shortbread crust, cheesecake filling, and crumble top.
Why: Fresh or frozen blueberries work, and the bars can be made ahead.
How: Bake the crust, add the fillings and crumble, bake again, then chill before cutting.
🫐 Ingredients
- Blueberry filling (fresh or frozen): blueberries, sugar, cornstarch
- Cream cheese filling: cream cheese, sugar, egg
- Shortbread crust and crumble top: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, egg, cold butter
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Making Blueberry Bars With Cream Cheese
1. Make shortbread crust and topping: Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and egg. Cut in cold butter until crumbly.
2. Bake crust: Press half of the mixture into a buttered baking dish and bake.
3. Blueberry filling: If using fresh blueberries, rinse and dry them.. Toss with sugar and cornstarch.
✅ Pro Tip: Using frozen berries? Do not thaw first, but add an extra teaspoon of cornstarch to handle the extra liquid release.
4. Make cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, sugar, and egg until smooth.
5. Assemble: Layer the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust, then add the blueberries and the remaining crumble.
6. Bake until golden – about 40 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars or squares.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and step-by-step photos, or keep reading for pro tips, scaling, and storage info.
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😊 Variations
- Other berries: Try raspberries or blackberries in place of blueberries.
- Vanilla: Add 1 teaspoon to the cream cheese filling.
- Cinnamon: Add ½ teaspoon to the crumble topping.
👍 Pro Tips
- Soften the cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese mixes smoothly without lumps.
- Line the pan: Butter it first, then add parchment if you want to lift out the bars for easier cutting.
- Clean cuts: Chill the bars for at least 2 hours. Use a long, sharp knife and wipe or rinse it clean between cuts for tidy slices.
↕️ How to Scale the Recipe
The recipe card’s servings slider changes ingredients only; follow the pan and baking guidance below.
- Half batch: Use an egg white in place of half an egg and a dish about 25–30 square inches and at least 1 inch deep. A 6-inch round dish works. Start checking early.
- Full batch: Use a 6×9-inch, 8×8-inch, 9×9-inch, or 9-inch round pan. The 6×9 makes thicker bars; the 9×9 makes thinner ones. Check for a golden top and set center rather than relying only on the timer.
- Double batch: Use a 9×13-inch pan. Expect a little more baking time; bake until the top is golden and the center is set.
❄️ How to Store and Freeze
Refrigerate: Keep the bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Because of the cream cheese filling, don’t leave them at room temperature.
Freeze: Wrap tightly, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
🥣 More Dessert Bar Recipes
- Classic Cheesecake Bars – smooth, creamy, and easy to slice
- Lemon Bars – bright, tangy bars with a classic custard filling
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars – rich, crowd-pleasing dessert bars
📖The Recipe Card
Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars with Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pint blueberries - fresh or frozen
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch - increase to 3 teaspoons if frozen berries
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Shortbread Crust and Crumb Top
- Preheat oven to 375° conventional, not convection. Coat an 8X8 baking dish with butter.
- Mix 2 cups of flour, ¾ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 egg.
- Cut the cold butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter or fork until it is crumbly. A food processor may be used.
- Press half of the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes.
Prepare the Blueberry Filling
- Rinse and dry fresh blueberries. If using frozen, do not thaw. Toss the berries with ½ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cornstarch for fresh berries or 3 teaspoons for frozen.
Make the Cream Cheese Filling
- Beat 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and 1 egg with a hand mixer until smooth.
Assemble and Bake
- Layer the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust, then top with blueberries and the remaining crumble.
- Bake until nicely browned—about 40 minutes. Cool in a refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This recipe is for an 6X9, 8X8, 9X9, or 9-inch round baking dish. Please refer to the discussion in the post for instructions on adjusting the recipe size and pan sizes.
- My serving size is about 2X2, but it varies according to your needs.
- Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will be good frozen for 3 months. Do not store at room temperature for safety,
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published September 7, 2015. Updated with refreshed photos and clearer instructions.
Elaine Perea says
I wanted to let you know that I made these in muffin tins. I used jumbo liners so the paper was higher than the edge of the tins. Worked out well, and tidy for a camping trip! I only had one egg, so I used a "flax egg" in the crust, and it set up well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Becky says
Great recipe! Combines two favorites - blueberry crumb bars and blueberry cream cheese bars. I beat the egg with a bit of vanilla before adding it to the crust and a bit in the cream cheese. Also use half brown sugar in crust and add a dash of cinnamon. Delicious!
DrDan says
I love crumble toppings. While this recipe was a bit more work than normal for me, it is well worth it. Also, I'm a lot faster doing it when I don't take pictures.
Thanks so the note.
Dan
Leslie says
I made these with a few modifications, added 1/4 tsp of almond flavoring to the base/topping mixture & mixed approx 1/3 cup of blanched chopped almonds with the topping part of mixture. Also, added 1 tsp of lemon zest and 1 tsp of lemon juice with blue berry mixture and 1 tsp of vanilla flavoring with the cream cheese mixture.
Good luck with your changes at work, hope to see some old favorite recipes and new ones soon. Thanks again for all your recipes