Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars

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 Imagine a crumbly lemon coffee cake, studded with fresh juicy blueberries. Next, imagine a creamy lemon cheesecake. Now put these two ideas together and enjoy them in “bar form.” That is what these Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars are! Similar to coffee cake in flavor and texture, but with a cheesecake filling and drizzled with a lemon glaze while warm. 
 
slice blueberry lemon crumb bar filled with cheesecake filling
Lemon blueberry crumb bars are similar to a classic strudel-style coffee cake. This recipe is fun to make and the lemony frosting is out of this world. These are also known as lemon blueberry crumb bars and lemon blueberry crumble.  You bake them in a 9×13″ baking pan or casserole dish. Let them cool just enough to drizzle that glaze made with fresh lemons over it.
 
Welcome to #LemonWeek 2022 hosted by Lynn from Fresh April Flours and Rebecca from Devour Dinner.  This week is sponsored by Rodelle and La Tourangelle. I may have received product samples from these sponsors to help in the creation of my recipes. All opinions are my own. Come join me and my fellow Lemon Week bloggers as we bring you recipes from appetizers to drinks to entrées and desserts! Enter to win the prize package at the bottom of this recipe post!

serving of lemon blueberry crumb bars in a bowl

Lemon Blueberry Bars with Cake Mix

These are not “box lemon bars,” but they do use a cake mix.  So I guess you would call them mostly homemade? The cake mix combined with butter makes the streusel-like crust, then a homemade lemon cheesecake filling is added.

But don’t stop there, because you’ll top the cheesecake with fresh juicy blueberries, and more of the streusel mix to form that crumb topping. Finish them off with a slightly tart lemon glaze drizzled over the top while they are warm, and you have these bars that are so delicious, you may just think they were heaven sent! 

If you love the combination of lemon and blueberry – you are sure to love these Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls, my Lemon Blueberry Trifle and this delicious Lemon Blueberry Pull-Apart Bread!  

 

My Favorite Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars for more than a Decade

The first time I made these lemon blueberry crumb bars was back in 2011. I made them for one of my lifelong friends for her birthday. Then, we had been friends for 30 years! I guess that means that friendship has stretched another decade at this point?
I’m not sure when birthdays lose their “fun” as far as getting another year older? I mean, remember when we even counted by half years?
 
Most of us don’t get too excited about adding another year to the age on our driver’s license, little alone saying “I am 40 something and a half.” So, from here on out, I have decided that instead of counting it as one year older, I’d count it as another year of great birthdays!
 
 
Here are a few photos of my friend, Sheri and me back in the 1980s, and early 1990s. 
 
We’ve been through a lot over the years!  Boys, sleepovers, prank phone calls to “teen lines,” make-up, boys, cars, Friday night car cruising, boys,  late-night phone calls, concerts, and did I mention boys?!?

Weddings and births of babies, growing our families, and losing loved ones. Four decades hold a lot of memories.ingredients for lemon blueberry crumb bar

Ingredients in blueberry lemon crumble bars

  • Butter -salted or unsalted works fine
  • Yellow cake mix – gives it that buttery taste!
  • Eggs – large eggs
  • Lemons – fresh ripe lemons are best
  • Cream cheese – full-fat works best.
  • Sugar – granulated sugar
  • Blueberries – fresh blueberries work best, but you can use frozen in a pinch
  • Powdered sugar – for making the icing

How to make lemon blueberry crumble bars

You will find complete measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

cake batter for lemon blueberry crumble bars

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil, extending over the sides. Microwave the butter in a mixing bowl until it melts. Add to this the cake mix, egg, and lemon juice. Beat with a mixer until well blended.

batter in pan for blueberry lemon crumble bars
Use 2/3 of this mixture to press into the bottom of the pan. 

 

adding blueberries to unbaked cake mix

Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar. Add remaining egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat.
Spread over the crust. Top with blueberries.

Take the remaining crust and pinch small pieces evenly over the blueberries.
Bake until the center is almost set.

glaze for lemon crumble bars
Make a lemon glaze by adding the remaining lemon juice to the powdered sugar until it’s a “drizzle” consistency.

drizzle glaze on warm blueberry crumble bars

Drizzle the glaze over the warm bars.

paddle platter with fresh baked blueberry lemon crumb bars

Cool completely in the refrigerator (approximately one hour)
Now you can use the foil “handles” to remove the bars from the pan to cut them.

Enjoy!

lemon blueberry crumb bars

Love them? Pin them!

Don’t forget where you found the recipe for these delicious Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars! Pin them to your favorite Pinterest dessert board before you go!

Do you serve crumb bars warm or cold?

Blueberry crumb bars I think are best just warm enough not to melt the frosting off. But, they can also be served cool or slightly chilled even. The lemon cheesecake style filling tastes even more lemony when they are just warmed a little bit. (But not too hot to melt everything and cook those blueberries even more!) 
 
So, serve them from the fridge, or warm them for a few minutes at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit in a toaster oven, then serve.

How to store lemon crumble bars

Keep your leftover bars covered tightly and store in the fridge. They will keep for about 4 or 5 days that way, but I seriously doubt you can keep them around that long. In fact, unless you double up the recipe, I think keeping them longer than one or two days will be a stretch…

bowl with a serving of blueberry lemon crumb bar

What to serve with lemon blueberry cheesecake bars

These bars make perfect treats to serve with coffee or tea. But if you are bringing them to serve at brunch, then they actually make a great side for breakfast casseroles or just plain old bacon and eggs. 

how to slice blueberry lemon crumb bars

Notes on serving lemon crumble bars

  • Make sure to let the crumble bars cool in the pan long enough before adding the glaze over the top. The bars should be warm enough to allow the glaze to melt a bit, but not so hot the glaze just melts right through the bar. If you can touch it without burning your finger, then that is ok to frost. 
  • Chill the bars first before removing them from the pan and cutting them into individual bars. 
  • You can sub nonfat or low-fat cream cheese, but they are so good with the full-fat kind!

Rhubarb Crumble Bars cut

More tasty bar recipes to check out

 lemon zest in a bowl for lemon crumb bars

Wednesday #LemonWeek Recipes

 

So lemony good and smothered in blueberries (which are a natural anti-oxidant by the way) You’ll want to make them over and over again. 
 
So let’s preserve our youth, and celebrate more birthdays!    M. logo An Affair from the Heart

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slice blueberry lemon crumb bar filled with cheesecake filling
4.54 from 13 votes
Print Recipe

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bar Recipe

They are so lemony good and smothered in blueberries. Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bar.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Additional Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Bars
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 9x13, cake mix, dessert, lemon blueberry cheesecake, Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bar, lemon cheesecake, streusel
Servings: 9 x 13
Calories: 351kcal
Author: Michaela Kenkel

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup
  • 1 package of yellow cake mix
  • 2 eggs divided
  • 2 medium sized lemons one zested and both squeezed.
  • 2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 2 pints of fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line a 9×13 pan with foil, extending over the sides. Microwave the butter in a mixing bowl until it melts. Add to this the cake mix, 1 egg and 2 T of lemon juice. Beat with a mixer until well blended.
  • Use 2/3 of this mixture to press into the bottom of the pan.
  • Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar. Add remaining egg, 2 t. of lemon zest, and 2 T. lemon juice. Beat.
  • Spread over the crust. Top with blueberries.
  • Take the remaining crust and pinch small pieces evenly over the blueberries.
  • Bake 45-50 minutes, or until the center is almost set.
  • Make a lemon glaze by adding the remaining lemon juice to the powdered sugar until it’s a “drizzle” consistency.
  • drizzle the glaze over the warm bars.
  • Cool completely in the refrigerator (approximately one hour)
  • Now you can use the foil “handles” to remove the bars from the pan to cut them.

Notes

I recommend using fresh blueberries, but frozen blueberries work, too. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 399mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g

 

Check out the amazing prizes you can win in our #LemonWeek Giveaway!

Prize #1: Rodelle Prize Pack

Rodelle Prize Pack includes:

2 count Gourmet Madagascar Vanilla Beans

2oz Almond Extract

4oz Natural Baker’s Extract

4oz Vanilla Paste

8oz Gourmet Vanilla Extract

25oz Organic Baking Cocoa

 

Prize #2: La Tourangelle Prize Pack

La Tourangelle Prize Pack includes:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Roasted Walnut Oil

Regenerative Sunflower Oil

4oz Vanilla Paste

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I first posted these Lemon Blueberry Bars on September 23, 2011. They have been updated to improve user experience and re-shared on May 24, 2022.

lemon blueberry crumb bars

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9 Comments

  1. I love the combination of lemon and blueberry in this delicious treat! Such a great way to cure my sweet tooth!

  2. Lemon and blueberry is such a perfect flavor combo for summertime! 🙂 I am definitely going to have to whip up this recipe soon.

  3. These bars were next level! One of the most delicious bars I have ever made! Loved the lemon zest!

  4. I expected these to be hard to make because they have such delicious layers to them but they were so easy!

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