Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Crumble Bars

A creamy cheesecake bar with layers of lemon cheesecake, fresh blueberries, and a crumble topping. These bars make the perfect dinner dessert or sharing with friends over coffee and conversation.

There is something about cheesecake that sends me over the top with feelings of ecstasy. It’s that first buttery bite. When those warm blueberries burst in your mouth! I love layering different sweet ingredients just like the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares that I made us. I love making these because they are easy to make using only simple ingredients.

Why are these crumble bars so good?

• Made with simple ingredients: It’s no surprise (or is it) that really yummy desserts are made with simple ingredients such as cream cheese, butter, and blueberries. How much more simple can it get?

• A non-complicated dessert: You whisk the dry ingredients, mix the wet, layer, and BAM! You have a quick dessert that will be consumed quickly!

• 4 mouth-watering layers: Who could ask for anything more in a dessert? There is a layer of crumble crust, a layer of cream cheese, a layer of juicy blueberries, and lastly, a layer of crumble topping. These 4 layers equal a mouth full of texture heaven.

• They taste great warmed, cold or room temperature: talk about a versatile dessert!

Ingredients

• Flour
• Sugar
• Brown sugar
• Butter
• Eggs
• Baking powder
• Cream cheese
• Lemons
• Blueberries
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

How to make blueberry cheesecake crumble bars

You’ll find the complete recipe down below, and to get started I will show you how to prepare them step-by-step:

Step 1: For the crumble, you are going to whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt. Cube the chilled butter.

Step 2: Whisk the egg and vanilla until combined.

Step 3: Next, add the egg mixture and chilled butter to the flour mixture. Mix with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Step 4: Press 2/3 of the dough onto the bottom of the 9×13 pan you lined with parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 5: Beat together the sugar and cream cheese with a hand mixer set to medium speed until combined.

Step 6: Beat in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg until combined.

Step 7: Spread the cheesecake batter over the top of the crust.

Step 8: Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the cheesecake batter.

Step 9: Pinch small pieces of the remaining dough, and lightly press them on the top of the blueberries. 

Step 10: Bake in a 350°F oven for 55 minutes. Completely cool before cutting them into bars.

Variations

The wonderful thing about this blueberry bar recipe is, that you can switch out the blueberries for raspberries, strawberries, or even chocolate chips! Also you can make the adjustments too:

Vegan butter: You can replace the regular butter with vegan butter. Use a 1:1 ratio.

Plant-based cream cheese: You can use plant-based cream cheese for these. I recommend using TJ vegan or Tofutti. Tofutti always results in a very smooth and creamy texture!

How to store cheesecake bars

Storing these bars is pretty straigh forward. Follow these guidelines and you’ll have yummy fresh cheese cake bars for days to come.

• Room temperature: Once these bars have cooled, they can stay out at room temperature, covered, for several hours. This is best for when you know you are going to serve them the same day.
• Refrigeration: After they have cooled, they can stay out covered for several hours. When you know you’re not going to serve them until the next day, these cheesecake bars can go into the refrigerator overnight. Just be sure to remove them from the fridge first thing in the morning.
• Freezing: Place them in the freezer for about 7 minutes. Just until they firm up a bit. This will make wrapping them much easier. Then cover individually or three at a time with plastic wrap. Next place them inside a large zip lock bag. Make sure there is no space or air inside of the baggie when sealing it. They will last up to 3 months in the freezer.

FAQ

When I freeze these bars, how do I defrost them?

Remove the plastic-wrapped bars from the bag, and let them thaw out naturally.

Can I use low-fat cream cheese for these bars?

Definitely! The cheesecake layer will still be yummy and creamy!

Shouldn’t these bars always be refrigerated?

They can stay at room temperature for several hours. I recommend refrigerating them overnight.

Love these dessert bars? Try these easy and yummy dessert bar and cookie recipes:

Gluten-Free Lemon Squares

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Squares

Triple Chocolate Chunk Sandwich Cookies

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