These lemon blueberry cream cheese bars are a super easy, delicious treat! Quick blueberry cheesecake bars made with store-bought sugar cookie dough will be your new go-to dessert. And if you love these blueberry cream cheese crumb bars, try my Confetti Cheesecake Bars, my Banana Pudding Cheesecake Squares, or my No Bake Oreo Cheesecake!
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Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars Recipe
These amazing little sugar cookie blueberry cream cheese bars are bursting with blueberries and brightened by lemon zest and juice, and they all come together with just 8 ingredients? You better believe it!
The secret? Store-bought cookie dough. Much like my Confetti Cheesecake Bars, these easy blueberry cream cheese bars are semi-homemade, made up of a quick cheesecake filling sandwiched between a sugar cookie crust and a sugar cookie crumb topping. If you can use a hand mixer and get your hands on some sugar cookie dough, you can make these 8-ingredient blueberry cheesecake bars!
Blueberry Cream Cheese Crumb Bars Ingredients
- softened cream cheese - make sure your cream cheese is room temperature! If it's too cold, your filling might end up lumpy.
- lemon zest - this gives the cheesecake filling its lemony flavor! You can add a little extra to boost the lemon flavor if you like.
- pure vanilla extract - vanilla is great in everything, and goes so well with the blueberry and lemon flavors in these blueberry cream cheese bars.
- an egg - helps to thicken and bind together the cheesecake filling.
- granulated sugar (optional) - If you'd like to sweeten up your cheesecake layer a bit more, or if your blueberries are out of season and not that sweet, you can add a little white sugar. But trust me -- I have a major sweet tooth and with the sweetness of the blueberries, the sugar cookie dough, and the lemon icing, I didn't feel like it needed any!
- sugar cookie dough - I used a 16.5 oz container of Pillsbury cookie dough (the kind that is cut into cookie squares. You'll need half of the dough for the crust and the other half for the topping.
- blueberries - they can be fresh or frozen, but if you use frozen blueberries be sure to thaw them and drain any excess liquid first.
Equipment Needed
This lemon blueberry cream cheese bars recipe is very simple, so you won't need too many complicated tools. What I used for this recipe is a 9x9 baking pan, parchment paper, a whisk, a rubber spatula, and a hand mixer. Click below to grab some of the tools you might need:
Blueberry Cream Cheese Dessert Squares, Step by Step
- Preheat your oven and prep your pan.
- Beat together your cheesecake filling ingredients: cream cheese, vanilla, egg, and lemon zest, and sugar if you're using it.
- Press half of the sugar cookie dough into your pan and spread the cream cheese mixture on top.
- Sprinkle on your blueberries and top with small chunks of the remaining dough.
- Bake until golden brown, cool completely, then chill for 2 hours.
- For your icing, whip together your lemon juice and powdered sugar and drizzle over your cooled bars. Let it set, and enjoy your blueberry cream cheese bars!
Tips and F.A.Q.
If you're short on time, you can just remove the foil and place your cream cheese on a microwave-safe plate, and heat it in the microwave on high for 15-20 seconds. It's that easy!
Either! If you use frozen berries, just let them sit for about 30 minutes on paper towels or in a colander to thaw and drain at room temperature.
I love making dessert bars -- they're so easy! But they became even easier once I started lining my pan with parchment paper. This quick step works on brownies, these blueberry cream cheese bars, snack cakes, and anything else that you make in a square or rectangular pan. Just cut a long strip of parchment paper that covers the whole bottom but hangs over the sides and place it in your 9x9 pan before filling it. The parchment will keep the bars from sticking to the bottom of the pan, and the pieces hanging over the side help you to remove the cooled bars all at once! This helps you to cut and serve your dessert bars easily and neatly! It's truly a game-changer!
To store your bars, place them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. These bars also freeze very well! Just allow the cut bars to freeze uncovered until solid, and then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
More Berry Recipes You'll Love
- Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Zest
- White Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Lemon and Blackberry Cake
- Skillet Blueberry Cobbler with Smoked Sugar
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 8 oz (227 g) full-fat cream cheese - room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon zest
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar - (optional)*
- 1 container sugar cookie dough - 16 oz to 18 oz
- 1 cup (148 g) blueberries - thawed and drained if frozen
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar - (113g)
- 1-3 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice - or as needed for desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, hanging parchment over sides of pan for easy removal.baking spray
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.8 oz full-fat cream cheese
- Add vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and sugar (if using). Beat until smooth.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Press half of sugar cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.1 container sugar cookie dough
- Spread cream cheese mixture over dough, and sprinkle evenly with blueberries.1 cup blueberries
- Drop chunks of remaining dough evenly over blueberries.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until cookie topping is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool completely at room temperature, then chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.
- To make icing, whisk together lemon juice and powdered sugar in a bowl, adding more or less lemon juice for desired consistency. Drizzle over chilled bars and allow to set before slicing.1 cup powdered sugar, 1-3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Last Updated on April 11, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
Ella
Made it for a family gathering. It was absolutely delicious everyone needed seconds!! We will be making this recipe all the time.
Chenée Lewis
Fantastic! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed them!
Jazz
These bars are the perfect mix of lemon, blueberry, cheesecake, and sugar cookies. You have to try them to believe it!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you!! That definitely sums these bars up 🙂
Capri Lilly
These bars are so delicious and so easy to make! I love the burst of blueberry in every bite! Great recipe!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! The blueberries make it so delicious!
Kaluhi
Oh lord!!!! I almost licked my screen!! These bites look immaculate and it is a huge plus that they are so simple to make! Thank you for sharing!
Chenée Lewis
I hope you enjoy!! 🙂
Immaculate Ruému
These cheesecake bars are so moist and delicious, I was tempted to eat them all by myself. The blueberries and cream cheese made them even more decadent.
Chenée Lewis
I totally get that temptation! They're so good!
Marta
I made these bars to serve for last night's dessert and they did NOT disappoint. The lemon added just the right amount of pucker.
Chenée Lewis
Glad you liked them! I love the lemon in there to brighten them up just a bit.
Tamara
These were some of the best cheescake bars I've ever had! I can't wait to make them again for a brunch we're hosting.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you!! They're totally a go-to recipe!
Desirée
This is one of those recipes I didn't know I needed until I tried it! I love blueberry everything and this recipe was no different! SO BOMB!!!!
Chenée Lewis
If you love blueberries this bars are perfect for you! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Katrina
I love baking and this was the perfect recipe for me to try something different!! This recipe is a winner!!
Chenée Lewis
Glad you liked it 🙂
Aly
Any dessert recipe with cream cheese - I am 100% ALL in! I was able to score all of the ingredients (glad it's only 8) yesterday during my once-a-month grocery trip and made these earlier. These were so freaking good!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you!! I'm so glad you liked them!
Andrea
Thanks for the parchment tip. They popped out the pan easily! Delicious.
Chenée Lewis
No problem!! That's one of my favorite baking tips 🙂
Britney Chamberlain
Everyone in my household LOVED this recipe! These blueberry cheesecake bars were so moist and delicious. I cannot wait to make these again!
Chenée Lewis
I'm glad you all enjoyed it! It's totally worth repeat bakings.
Mireille E Roc
I love the idea of using cookie dough as a base. I couldn't wait to try it and I was not disappointed. Thank you for such a delicious and easy recipe.
Chenée Lewis
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed.
Samantha
You can never go wrong with sugar cookie dough, blueberries and cream cheese! Great recipe! Yum!
Chenée Lewis
I agree! They're meant for each other 🙂
Nij
Substituted with gf cup for cup and plant based dairy. The family literally ate the entire batch of bars, so simple to make and so tasty. Loved the blueberries and lemon flavors together
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad you all liked it and you were able to make the right adjustments!
Kathryn
These look amazing! And they would be great to serve at a party. Thanks for sharing!
Chenée Lewis
You're welcome! Definitely a perfect party treat.
Shay
not only are these beautiful, the ingredients are easy to get. I have everything right in my cupboards already! I can't wait tk surprise the family with these!
Chenée Lewis
Awesome! Let me know how they like them! 🙂
Nathalia
Wow, Chenee this one looks amazing! Would love to try a "clean" version of this sans conventional cookie dough or sugar and see how it matches up 🙂
Nathalia | NathaliaFit - Fitness & Wellness Blog
http://www.nathaliafit.com
Chenée Lewis
I'm sure you'd love it! Thanks!