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If you enjoy traditional lemon bars and you love blueberry, you will enjoy these easy to make vegan lemon blueberry shortbread bars! Blueberry lemon shortbread bars make for perfect easy desserts for birthdays or potlucks any time of the year!

lemon blueberry shortbread bars on white parchment paper

What are Shortbread Bars?

Shortbread bars are a delicious dessert made from a simple, buttery shortbread crust and a variety of tasty toppings. Shortbread bars can be made with a variety of toppings, such as fruit preserves, caramel, chocolate, or nuts, allowing you to customize them to your taste.

They are easy to make and require only a few simple ingredients, making them a great option for beginner bakers.

Lemon and Blueberry Flavor Combination

The pairing of lemon and blueberry creates a sensational flavor combination that is both sweet and tart. The bright citrusy notes of the lemon perfectly complement the juicy sweetness of the blueberry, resulting in a refreshing and invigorating taste.

The zesty acidity of the lemon cuts through the rich and sweet flavor of the blueberry, balancing out the flavors and providing a well-rounded taste experience. This delicious duo can be found in many popular desserts such as pies, cakes, muffins, and scones, as well as in refreshing beverages like blueberry lemonade and blueberry lemon tea.

Ingredients

Our recipe yields a smaller batch of 16 blueberry lemon cookie bars in a 9×9 inch pan. However, you can easily double the ingredients and use a 9×13 baking pan for a double batch!

Unsalted butter – To make this a vegan recipe, you can use unsalted vegan butter.
Brown sugar
White sugar – Granulated sugar, divided
All-purpose Flour
Salt
Lemon Juice – Divided
Vanilla extract
Frozen blueberries – Can also use fresh blueberries
Cornstarch
Water
Powdered sugar – Optional for garnish on top

Necessary Supplies

Baking pan (9×9 inch pan for small batch and 9×13 inch prepared pan for double batch)
Parchment paper
Pot

Expert Tips for Making Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cookie Bars

Use high-quality ingredients: Shortbread bars have a simple ingredient list, so it’s important to use high-quality butter, flour, and sugar. Using high-quality ingredients will improve the flavor and texture of your bars.
Some bakers prefer to chill the dough after mixing. You can chill the mixed dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. Chilling the dough makes it easier to handle and will help the bars hold their shape while baking.
Press the dough firmly into the pan: Use a spatula or the bottom of a glass to press the dough firmly into the pan. This will ensure that the bars have a consistent thickness and will hold together well.
Line the baking dish with parchment paper: Lining the baking dish with parchment paper will make it easier to remove the bars from the dish and will prevent them from sticking.
Score the dough before baking: Use a sharp knife to score the dough into bars before baking. This will make it easier to cut the bars into even pieces once they’re baked.
Let the bars cool completely before cutting: Shortbread bars can be fragile when they’re warm, so it’s important to let them cool completely before cutting them into bars. This will also help the bars hold their shape better.

dough and filling uncooked in pan with parchment paper

Serving These Tasty Lemon Blueberry Shortbread Bars

These lemon blueberry\ cookies are perfect for any occasion with the bar-sized servings, whether you’re looking for a sweet treat to enjoy with your afternoon tea or a dessert to serve at a party.

If you are going to have to stack the blueberry lemon shortbread bars for serving or for storing, you might want to cut some parchment paper and place it between layers to ensure the topping of the bars to avoid soggy shortbread crust on the bars on the top layer.

One tray makes 16 servings or more if you need to make smaller squares for feeding a crowd.

vegan lemon blueberry shorbread bars on white paper

vegan lemon blueberry shortbread cookies\ with shortbread brust on a serving tray with parchment paper

Lemon Blueberry Shortbread Bars

These lemon blueberry shortbread bars are like blueberry lemon cookies in bar form!

5 from 28 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 233 kcal

Ingredients

For Lemon Blueberry Filling

2 cups Blueberries frozen
1 tbsp Lemon juice
¼ cup Granulated sugar
2 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Water

For Shortbread Crust

1 cup Unsalted butter vegan or regular
¼ cup Brown sugar
¾ cup Granulated sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Salt
2 cups All purpose flour

Optional: Garnish on Top

⅕ cup Powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉.
For the blueberry filling, add the blueberries to a pot with the lemon juice and sugar. Heat on medium until everything begins to bubble.
Add the cornstarch and water to the mixture and stir together while it continues to boil.
Let the blueberry filling simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring every other minute. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl add softened butter and whisk together until it becomes a lighter shade. Add the brown and white sugar to the butter and mix until fluffy. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, whisking together until combined.
Next add the salt and the flour to the bowl and mix until well incorporated. You should have a thick dough.
Add parchment paper to a 9×9 inch square baking pan. Take ¾ of the dough and press into the bottom of pan, spreading evenly.
Then add a layer of the blueberry filling, spreading to cover the dough layer.
With the rest of the dough, crumble it on top of the blueberry filling.
Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Let cool completely before cutting and sifting powdered sugar on top if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 2gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 149mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 365IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg

Keyword blueberry lemon bars, blueberry lemon shortbread bars, blueberry lemon squares, lemon blueberry shortbread bars

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