Blackberry Jam and Cream Cheese Shortbread Bars have a buttery top and bottom layer with a creamy filling made with cream cheese and jam.
These shortbread bars will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. They are made with a buttery shortbread crust and top. The center is made with a cream filling with jam swirled in. They are simple to make. It is a recipe that you will want to make often.
I love sweets that have a crumbly crust. The cream cheese increases the flavor of the bars with its tanginess. The jam gives additional sweet fruity flavor to the bars. You can never go wrong with a sweet fruity crumble bar. They are simple to make and something that the whole family will love.
Helpful Tips
- Use real butter for this recipe. Nothing else will give the bars the flavor butter gives them. Have the butter at room temperature so it combines with the sugar easily.
- The cream cheese should be at room temperature. Beat the cream cheese before adding the sugar to it.
- You can use other flavors of jam or chopped-up fruit in place of the blackberry jam.
- Swirl the jam into the cream cheese with a knife. The jam should be dropped about one teaspoon at a time to make it easy to swirl.
- The bars should be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Ingredients needed for jam cream cheese bars
- Butter – Use real butter for this recipe. Butter helps with the flavor of the shortbread.
- Granulated Sugar – Give sweetness to the shortbread and the cream cheese filling.
- Vanilla – Adds flavor to the shortbread and the cream cheese filling
- Flour – All-purpose flour is used.
- Cream Cheese – The cream cheese should be at room temperature.
- Egg – Use a large egg for this recipe
- Jam – Blackberry is one of my favorite jams, but you can use whatever flavor you like best.
Steps to make blackberry jam cream cheese shortbread bars
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 by 9-inch pan.
Steps one and two
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat until the butter and sugar are well combined. Vanilla is added and mixed in.
Steps three and four
Gradually add the flour and mix until combined. Once the flour is mixed together, take the dough and pat three-fourths of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
Steps five, six, and seven
Make the filling. Place the cream cheese into a medium bowl. Beat until creamy. Add the sugar and mix it in. Beat in the egg.
Steps eight, nine, and ten
Mix in the egg. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth.
Steps eleven and twelve
Spread the filling over the top of the crust. Drop the jam about a teaspoon at a time on top of the crust.
Steps thirteen and fourteen
Swirl the jam into the cream cheese. Crumble the remaining batter over top of the filling. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is lightly browned.
More yummy bar recipes
If you make these blackberry jam cream cheese shortbread bars, I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment and a rating.
Blackberry Jam Cream Cheese Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
shortbread crust
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cup flour
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup blackberry jam
Instructions
Shortbread crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan.
- Beat with an electric mixer the butter and the sugar until creamy.
- Add and mix in the vanilla.
- Add the flour one-half cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Press three-fourths of the dough into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
Filling
- Add the cream cheese to a medium mixing bowl and with an electric mixer beat until fluffy.
- Beat in the sugar. Add the egg to the mixture and mix until combined.
- Mix in the vanilla.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over top of the crust.
- Drop jam about one teaspoon at a time on top of the cream cheese filling.
- With a knife swirl the jam into the cream cheese mixture.
- Crumble the remaining dough on top of the filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 27 to 32 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust is lightly browned.
Notes
- Use real butter for the best outcome for the flavor of the bars.
- Have the butter, cream cheese, and egg at room temperature.
- Do not overmix the shortbread dough.
- Store the bars in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on March 6, 2014. It has been updated with new content and pictures on April 18, 2024.
Fingers crossed to a happier end to the week! And in any case, hopefully these bars will cheer you up. Big yum!
Wow cream cheese and blackberry jam…these bars look great Dawn…hope you a nice weekend and an even better week ahead 😀
I can’t believe this but I just bought blackberry jam last week. Now I have something to use it for besides my son’s sandwiches, and I love the addition of cream cheese.
These shortbread bars look terrific! I still have lots of homemade blackberry jam that I really need to use them up. This is a perfect recipe.