By Samantha Seneviratne
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(1,841)
- Notes
- Read community notes
At first glance, these bars may look like every other fruit crumble bar you’ve had, but they have a secret. Between the jammy fruit and buttery shortbread is a bonus layer of sweetened cream cheese you never knew you needed until now. Wild blueberries are less watery than conventional blueberries and have a more concentrated blueberry flavor that works beautifully in this recipe. They are available frozen and need not be thawed before using, but you can use whichever variety you find. These bars will be delicious no matter what.
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Ingredients
Yield:16 servings
- 10 ⅔ounces/300 grams shortbread cookies (2 5.3-ounce packages)
- 3tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 4tablespoons/60 grams unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
- 8ounces/225 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼cup/50 grams plus ⅓ cup/65 grams granulated sugar
- 1large egg
- 3cups/12 ounces/340 grams wild blueberries, fresh or frozen, but not thawed
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 5⅓ounces/150 grams shortbread cookies (1 5.3-ounce package)
- 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1large egg yolk
For the Crust
For the Filling
For the Topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
298 calories; 17 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 198 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. In a food processor, combine shortbread cookies, sugar, flour and salt and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer mixture into the prepared pan and press down into an even layer. Bake until fragrant and a shade darker, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step
2
Meanwhile, prepare filling: In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, ¼ cup of sugar and 1 egg and mix until smooth. In a separate medium bowl, add blueberries, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, cornstarch and salt, and toss to combine.
Step
3
Prepare topping: In a food processor, combine shortbread, flour, salt, baking powder and sugar and pulse to combine. Add butter and egg yolk, and pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened.
Step
4
Remove crust from oven and top it evenly with cream cheese mixture and then blueberry mixture. Sprinkle topping over blueberry layer, squeezing to make some larger clumps. Bake until filling is set and no longer jiggly, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Step
5
To serve, use a sharp knife to release edges. Using parchment overhang, lift and transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares.
Ratings
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1,841
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Cooking Notes
CElleD
Made w/slight-modifications reflecting upon prior comments from others. This recipe is absolutely delicious. I used the Vanilla Wafers sold at Trader Joe’s. They are a fraction of the price but just as delicious. (Don’t sneer. They taste nothing like Nilla Wafers. Try. You will be hooked.) I used the topping recipe - combined quantities - for the crust AND topping. Easier. Tastes the same. Also added grated lemon zest to the cream cheese filling. Made in a 13x9 for slimmer servings. Watch oven!!
Thom
Superb! One major change: Instead of packaged shortbread cookies, I used Melissa Clark's "Shortbread, 10 Ways" recipe. Super easy and well worth the additional time. I did the citrus version. I pressed about 2/3 of the dough into a pan lined with parchment for the crust. For the topping, I used the other 1/3 of the dough, and added the egg yolk. Lastly, added a cup of rasberries that needed to be used up. Remarkably, this is better than blueberry pie.
NYkr
I made these tonight because I had just bought wild blueberries. My husband LOVED them. He's not a big dessert guy but he ate three bars. I thought they were good but I would have liked a higher concentration of blueberries in the filling. They seemed more like blueberry cheesecake than blueberry pie bars. Still, very tasty. I used Pepperidge Farm Shortbread cookies.
Sally
Very tasty but next time I will try using maybe 9 oz (instead of 10 2/3 oz) of shortbread cookies in the bottom crust so it is less thick. And also a little less cream cheese for a thinner cheese layer (or same cheese but a few more blueberries).
Sarah
So good! If you’re looking to cut some sugar, I mistakenly didn’t add the sugar to the blueberries and didn’t miss it one bit! Plenty sweet and the perfect amount of salt. I did add lemon zest to the blueberries. Brought to a potluck and it got so many compliments!
Janis Richards
Absolutely the best! Blueberry crisp in a bar. Used 9X13 pan, an additional cup of blueberries, one more tsp of corn starch and Walker shortbread. Refrigerated bars overnight as was delighted that the crust was able to hold the whole bar together without turning into a gloppy mess. Will try with so many more fruits. Love it!!
peach
Made with peaches
megan
Followed the recipe for crust, cream cheese layer and topping, but doubled the berry layer and made in a 13x9 pan. Took longer for filling to set (~1 hour). Recipe time is a bit misleading as it doesn't mention time to cool completely between baking and chilling. I put it in the freezer for 30 mins because that's all the time I had. A big hit at book club!
Katie
These were quite good! Was doubling to take to a potluck and the amount of shortbread cookies I would have needed was about $18 so I decided to just make my own shortbread to use and the bars turned out great. Wish the recipe would just have ingredients for the crust instead of a specific package of expensive shortbread cookies. We all have butter, sugar, and flour already!
A. Cleary
Having made this twice as written, I have to agree with those who find the shortbread a bit too heavy. Third time, I mixed the shortbread with some vanilla wafers and Trader Joe's Triple Ginger cookies, & added some lemon zest. What a hit! Also, I just combined the ingredients for the crust and topping and left out the baking powder & added 1 more cup berries. Less work, still tasty!
Amelia West
We made these and my husband and I thought they need more blueberries and less shortbread! You could double the amount blueberries listed. And make the crust thinner. Otherwise it's just way too much shortbread.
Sarah
The second time I made these I added some chopped frozen peaches (for a total of ~4 cups of fruit) and it was great. Also made in a 9x13 pan for thinner bars, they are so rich that smaller pieces are totally fine and will serve more people.
NSJ
This recipe was incredibly easy to make. The bars were delicious, the perfect balance between salty and sweet. I used the Danish butter cookies from Aldi. I also made this in a 10 inch pan lined with tin foil because it's what I had and it worked just fine. The bars weren't too thin at all. All of my dinner guests had seconds.
Darcy Z.
The shortbread makes for a very heavy dessert. I would use something else that is lighter, like a lemon cookie if I made this again.
Robert
Very tasty, but it needs to set longer than one hour post baking and making it in a 9 x 13 pan makes sense as slimmer bars would be easier to cut and serve (once fully set) and allow the ingredients to feed more folks.
Torch
One of the few NY Times recipes that did not work. There is too much crust, even in a 13x9 pan, and too few blueberries.
Melissa
Delicious! I made it with mostly blueberries (fresh) and mixed in a pint of blackberries. Also I squeezed a bit of lemon juice over the berry mixture. Oh, and I didn’t have enough shortbread *but* I had some left over piroline style cookies (like the Pepperidge farm straw kind of cookies) so I tossed some of those in to bulk up my crust. Upped the salt in the crust to cut the sweetness of the cookies I added. So yummy!
Lynne
Definitely reduce the amount of shortbread crust. Or make crust as directed and us a larger pan, increasing the other layers accordingly. Otherwise it’s very tasty and a good bar cookie.
a huge hit!
Made these with gluten free shortbread cookies to accommodate a friend who is a celiac and subbed all flour for almond flour. And used more blueberries than called for. Fridge overnight and let them come to room temp before serving, They were delicious with a scoop of vanilla icecream. Will make again!
Sophia
These are wonderful - especially good with a mix of berries. I used raspberries, blackeberries, and blueberries and increased the amount to 400g.
SFZ
These bars were very good when right out of the oven, but I froze them and they did not taste nearly as good when defrosted. If I make these again, it will be when I can serve them right away.
Alene
I am gluten free. I made myself gluten free grahaham crackers to use for cheesecakes. Do you think those would work in place of shortbread? I can't get to the store and there is no way I am making gluten free shortbread too. Thank you.
Danvillerose
Tasty but way too time-consuming for the result. Stay focused because you’re making three recipes in one and it gets confusing. I agree with the reviewers who said you can cut down on the shortbread a bit. I used Lorna Doones, though pricey. Blueberry amount seemed right. I used a 9x11 pan which was perfect. Messy to cut even after fridge time, but I made them small to take to a party. Most were eaten!
JLJ
Good first pass, will def make again with a few noted modifications- it’s is very rich and heavy, will use larger pan to thin out the crust, a bit of lemon zest will def cut the sweet and probably allow the blueberry to come thru a bit more. Side of vanilla ice cream never hurts:-)
Shelley Mathewson
When you say wild blueberry do you mean the tiny one you find in Maine? Or the fat ones we have in Oregon?
Lee Ann
I made these for a party and they were a hit. I added some lemon zest to the blueberry mixture and it made them next-level delicious.
Sueiseman
Made these I would suggest thinning the crust a bit. I used the shortbread- delicious but a bit thick.
Carol G
Has anyone tried to freeze these? Is the quality affected?
RosebudTX
I’m not a baker and the instructions seemed intimidating but I laid all the ingredients out and it was so easy to put together! I also thought the thickness in the bottom was perfect. It was better the next day when it was really cold. The cold kind of cut the richness. Good!
Steven
Used shortbread cookies from Wegmans and frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s. Added lemon zest from half a lemon to the cream cheese mixture and baked in a 9x13 pan. These were a huge hit at my dinner party. Everyone had seconds. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 10/10!!!
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