5 from 11 votes

Blueberry Bars with Lattice

Blueberry Bars | ZoeBakes photo by Zoe Francois

This post is originally from 2011 and it is hilarious for me to read it, since my boys are now 17 and 19 years old and no longer have little fingers, because they’re 6 feet tall. The only thing that remains the same 7 years later; they still love these Blueberry Bars!

2011: Yesterday was the official end of summer in my house. Back to school for both boys, and I spent the day wishing they were home again. “Seriously?” You may ask. I spent the past several weeks anticipating the beginning of school with a certain glee, which may have bordered on unhealthy. I couldn’t wait to have peace and quiet in my house, for hours at a time. I looked forward to doing my work without interruption, sans little fingers dipping into the bowl. But, when it came to the actual day, I missed them and couldn’t wait for them to get off the bus.* Instead of pathetically staring out the window waiting, I decided to bake them some Blueberry Bars. Every MN kid loves bars.

For those of you from the coasts, I am referring to a layered dessert baked in a pan resembling a brownie/cookie/pie, but can be made with fruit, caramel, chocolate or anything else your pantry contains. Then they are cut into neat bars. I was first introduced to this concept when I moved to Minneapolis in 1993. Bars are generally served on a buffet table with lots of crock pots filled with “hot dish.” Every family has their own recipe, usually a tightly held secret, mostly kept from the neighbors.

To watch me make these bars and for tips on easy lattice and stable fillings, watch my instagram video. Recipe below.

How to Prepare the Lattice for Blueberry Bars

You will find the full recipe at the bottom of this post!

Blueberry Bars recipe | photo by Zoë François

Once the cream cheese dough is chilled, roll it out on a well floured surface and then use a Pastry Wheel to create strips. You can make them thick of thin, depending on what look you are going for. These strips are about 1/2-inch thick.

Blueberry Bars recipe | photo by Zoë François

Lay out half the strips on a sheet of parchment, set on a cookie sheet, with some space between the strips.

Blueberry Bars recipe | photo by Zoë François

Fold up every other strip and lay one of the remaining strips across those still laid flat.

Blueberry Bars recipe | photo by Zoë François

Repeat with the next rows until you reach the bottom.

Blueberry Bars recipe | photo by Zoë François

Start back at the middle and do the same on the other side.

Blueberry Bars recipe | photo by Zoë François

Place the cookie sheet with lattice in the freezer to stiffen.

Pour the blueberry filling over the thyme shorbread crust and let it sit while you wait for the lattice to chill.

Remove the lattice from the freezer and make sure it is the right size. This is just done by eyeballing it next to the pan, then use the pastry wheel to trim excess. You can always trim more when you place it on the filling. Quickly brush the lattice with the egg wash.

Carefully lift the lattice onto the filling. If the lattice is chilled well enough this should be a very easy task. If it is still too soft return it to the freezer until it is harder. Trim any excess. Sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and filling bubbling.

Trim the edges and cut into equal pieces, makes about 12 bars.

Blueberry Bars with a lattice pie crust

Blueberry Bars

These bars are a perfect back to school treat, or for anytime really. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, which means you can eat them year-round!
5 from 11 votes
Servings: 12 bars

Ingredients

Bottom Shortbread Cookie Crust

  • 1/2 cup (2 oz) confectioners' sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour measured with scoop and sweep
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz) unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon thyme finely chopped (optional)

Blueberry Filling

  • 6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries I used the small, wild blueberries
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp corn starch

Cream Cheese Dough for Lattice Top Crust

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (2 oz) confectioners' sugar
  • 2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour measured with spoon and sweep
  • sugar to sprinkle on top crust

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x9-inch Square Baking pan.

To Make Bottom Crust

  • In a Food Processor combine the confectioners' sugar, flour, butter, salt and thyme. Process the ingredients until it forms dough. If you are using cold butter this may take a few minutes. (Don't wash the bowl, we will use it again for the cream cheese dough.)
  • Press the dough into the prepared pan. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top and then rub it smooth (remove plastic wrap before putting it in the oven!). Bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes, just until it is light gold. Allow the crust to cool while you prepare the cream cheese dough and filling.

To Make Cream Cheese Lattice

  • In the food processor cream together the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar. Add the flour and pulse the dough until it comes together in a soft ball. Divide the ball in two discs and refrigerate for about one hour.
  • If you are efficient, you can get away with using just one dough disc for the lattice, but sometimes I need to use a little bit of the second.

To Make Blueberry Filling

  • Meanwhile, prepare the blueberries. In a sauce pan add the blueberries and ginger. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and cornstarch, then add it to the blueberries. Cook over low heat until the blueberries thicken and reduce by about half. When you are done cooking them you will have about 2 1/2 cups of blueberry filling. Set aside while you prepare the lattice.

Assemble the Blueberry Bars

  • Once the cream cheese dough is chilled, roll it out on a well floured surface and then use a Pastry Wheel to create strips. You can make them thick or thin, depending on what look you are going for. Mine were about about 1/2-inch thick.
  • Lay out half the strips on a sheet of parchment, set on a cookie sheet, with some space between the strips. Fold up every other strip and lay one of the remaining strips across those still laid flat. Repeat with the next rows until you reach the bottom. Start back at the middle and do the same on the other side. Place the cookie sheet with lattice in the freezer to stiffen.
  • Pour the blueberry filling over the thyme shortbread crust and let it sit while you wait for the lattice to chill. Remove the lattice from the freezer and make sure it is the right size. This is just done by eyeballing it next to the pan, then use the pastry wheel to trim excess. You can always trim more when you place it on the filling. Quickly brush the lattice with the egg wash.
  • Carefully lift the lattice onto the filling. If the lattice is chilled well enough this should be a very easy task. If it is still too soft, return it to the freezer until it is harder. Trim any excess. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
  • Allow the bars to cool completely. Trim the edges and cut into equal pieces. They can be stored at room temperature for a day and then covered and refrigerated or frozen.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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43 thoughts to “Blueberry Bars with Lattice”

  1. Your bars look fantastic! I learned several things here!!! I had no idea there was something called MN Food Bloggers. Will definitely be looking into that. I didn’t know bars were a regional thing. Really? Do you suppose I served bars to people when I lived in Vermont and they were too polite to wonder aloud about them?

  2. I picked lots of blueberries this year and I frozen several pints. This is great recipe to use some of my frozen blueberries. I’m going to give it a try.

    1. 5 stars
      This recipe is amazing! I loved every element. The bars were not too sweet and the blueberry flavor really shined. The shortbread crust was also fantastic. I will say this was definitely a trust exercise for me because nothing about the dough making methods were familiar to me. The dough making methods definitely felt a bit off, but everything came together for me just like it did for Zoe on the show.

      I shared these bars with a friend and she said it’s one of the best things she’d eaten in 2023 so far! Hehe

      Thanks so much for sharing. These will be made again 🙂

  3. If it has lemon thyme, my favorite herb, in it, it must be good. I grow my own lemon thyme (plus a few other herbs) and I’m always on the lookout for new and tasty ways to use herbs. Since I have fall raspberries in the backyard, I wonder if a raspberry variation of this would work.

    1. Hi Edith,

      Lucky you! My raspberries are just coming in, but we eat them as quick as they ripen! 😉

      You certainly could make this with raspberries, but you may want to press the fruit through a strainer if there are too many seeds.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Thanks! I was about to ask if I could make this with raspberries for a Valentines dessert…I was thinking of cutting out using a heart cookie cutter. I did a trial run with blueberry bars last weekend and they turned out great!

  4. Today was my turn to bring dessert to my quilt group, so I decided to make these blueberry bars. I grow lemon thyme in my garden, so it was perfect. They were a hit. My friends knew there was a hint of some extra flavor, but couldn’t guess what it was. No bars remained. I’ll definitely make these again!

  5. Oh these look delicious!! Any ideas what I could sub for cream cheese dough though (I’m lactose intolerant)? I can have butter or use lactose free whole milk, but can’t use cream cheese or yogurt.

  6. I like blueberries and bar shaped food, so this is a win win. But this does look really good, hope I can find some good blueberries to make this

  7. Hi – these look great! I’d just like to put in a vote for a link to the recipe without all the photos – saving toner cartridges!

    1. Just hit the Print button, then copy and paste (don’t print) and you should have what you want. Easy and you get to try the deliciousness!

  8. Could I use powdered ginger? Somehow fresh ginger is a turn off for me, but I love powdered ginger recipes.
    Dani- Just copy and paste the recipe itself into a word document and print it.

  9. These look so good! I’m going to make them this week. Do they keep well if I made them the night before ??

  10. Made these today for an afternoon backyard party. I only had frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, rasberries) and followed the recipe directions. Absolutely delicious! We whipped up some heavy cream for a topping. Thank you!

  11. I’ve been making these at the end of summer for the past few years and they are so good! This year I realized I didn’t have cream cheese at the wrong moment, so I subbed in 1:1 some thick cottage cheese instead and worked out perfectly!
    Thank you for such beautiful recipes!

  12. FYI
    I had to improvise when following the recipe, specifically the crusts. Fortunately, I have experience baking and knew that some things were omitted from the recipe.
    In any case, I liked the recipe and had fun making the lattice!

  13. 5 stars
    While the recipe had multiple parts, the instructions, as always, were perfect. I made this for my blueberry loving friend and shared the rest with my blueberry loving granddaughter. Everyone agreed that this was a hit. Will be making thi one again. Just takes some time, but so we’ll worth it.

  14. I just want to clarify that it says to divide the cream cheese dough in half. The other half is to be used another time, or for something else? There’s no mention and I assume you only need half of it for the topping? Thank you. They look wonderful and I wanna try them today.

    1. Hi Isabella! Great question. If you are efficient you can likely make the whole lattice with just one of the dough disks. Sometimes you may need a little bit of the second, though. Happy baking!

    1. Hi Tessie, Zoe doesn’t have much experience baking with dairy-free alternatives, but she has had luck in other recipes with Country Crock Plant Butter. We don’t know of a good dairy-free cream cheese substitute that might work in the lattice, but if you test one and it works, please let us know! It may be better to try a recipe that’s been developed as dairy-free to ensure you have success. This one from Ambitious Kitchen is highly rated and looks delicious!

    1. Hi Vicki, Zoe has not tried it, but she thinks it will probably work. Depending on how sweet the peaches are, you may want to reduce the sugar. Chop the peaches up pretty well because the blueberries make a jam when they bake, but if the peaches are too large the top crust may slide around. Please let us know how it goes if you do give it a try!

    1. Hi Kim, Zoe thinks it would be delicious with blackberries, but cautions that from a texture standpoint, it would be quite seedy. Cheers!

  15. 5 stars
    I made these blueberry bars for the first time for my sister and her family. They loved them and brought a smile to their faces during a very difficult time. I will be making them again and again:)

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