Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe (2024)

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!!

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.

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.

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).

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!

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!!

Made with peaches

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Note regarding shortbread cookies purchased from store “Trader Joe’s” make a good substitute. Uses vanilla crackers by Trader Joe’s.

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.

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!

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.

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!

These are wonderful - especially good with a mix of berries. I used raspberries, blackeberries, and blueberries and increased the amount to 400g.

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.

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.

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!

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:-)

When you say wild blueberry do you mean the tiny one you find in Maine? Or the fat ones we have in Oregon?

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.

Made these I would suggest thinning the crust a bit. I used the shortbread- delicious but a bit thick.

Has anyone tried to freeze these? Is the quality affected?

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!