• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Two Purple Figs
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • By LifeStyle
      • Gluten Free
      • Vegetarian
      • Vegan
    • By Course
      • Appetizers
      • Main Dishes
        • Chicken
        • Beef
        • Lamb
        • Pasta
        • Pizza
        • Sandwiches
        • Seafood
      • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Breakfast & Brunch
      • Desserts
        • Cakes
        • Cheesecakes
        • Cookies
        • Bars & Brownies
        • Muffins
        • Pies
      • Drinks & Smoothies
    • By Method
      • Videos
      • Quick & Easy
      • Air Fryer
      • Crock Pot
      • Instant Pot
      • Finger Food
      • Bread
      • Dips
    • By Cuisine
      • American
      • Asian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
    • By Occasion
      • Easter
      • Holidays
      • Parties
      • Potluck
      • Tailgate
  • Recipe Videos
  • About Me
  • Work with Me
  • Sign Up
You are here: Home / Recipes / Desserts / Bars & Brownies / Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars

August 7, 2018 by Mahy, Updated March 7, 2021 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Long pin for Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars

This berry citrus poppy seed bars recipe is a refreshing way to sweeten your day. Raspberries and blueberries are scattered on a thin layer of citrus cream cheese poppy seed filling and topped with cookie crumbles.

Sugar-dusted Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars cut into squares

I’m excited about these Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars—not only do they have a faint taste of my all time favorite mini raspberry cheesecakes , they also have poppy seeds and a citrus kick which freshens up the taste.

These summery cake bars are bursting with sweet berries and have an addictive buttery and crunchy cookie crumble topping.

Why this recipe works:

These Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars are lightly sweet, very citrusy, delicately crunchy from the poppy seeds and crumbles and absolutely loaded with berries! A quick treat to prepare and they stay fresh in the fridge for a few days!

As simple as this recipe is, as perfect as it can be for many occasions—potluck, picnic, bbq, brunch, tea, and any day you crave a sweet treat. I made these Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars a few days ago for our building bbq party and it vanished before my eyes with most people coming in for seconds.

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars stacked on top of each other with a sheet pan of cake bars in the background

I love bars in general because they’re fruity, easy to eat on the go and make a great addition to any picnic basket. These Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars are special because they have a thin layer of citrus cream cheese poppy seed filling, which adds a touch of citrusy crunchy creaminess to the bars.

Close-up of cake bars with mixed berries, cream cheese filling and a cookie crumb topping arranged on a baking tray

The crust for these Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars is as simple as can be. It’s made using plain cookies! Plus I like to crumble more cookies on the top. This step is completely optional.

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars

These easy poppy seed bars are such a fresh, summery treat. Just the perfect easy cake bar recipe to sweeten your day!

Close-up of sugar-dusted Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars with some mixed berries scattered in between

How to make these Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars:

If you feel those berry citrus poppy seed bars scream “baking nightmare” to you, let me tell you they’re quite the opposite of that, in fact, they’re very straightforward and use ingredients you probably have in your fridge right now.

Take a 9-inch square springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

To make the base for these Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars, crumble the cookies and press them at the bottom of the pan, pressing them finely so as not have any filling seeping out.

Cookie crust pressed onto baking sheet ready before adding the filling for poppy seed bars

In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, citrus zest and juice, sugar, poppyseed and egg. Pour the cream cheese filling over the cookie layer and spread it lightly. Be careful not to mix the layers. Top the cream cheese layer with the berries.

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars before baking in the oven

For extra crunch,  scatter some more cookie crumbles on top of the mixed berries, if desired.

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars sprinkled with extra cookie crumbles ready to go into the oven

Bake your Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars for 30 minutes until the filling has set and edges are golden. Cool the baking pan on the counter, then chill the poppy seed bars in the fridge for 2 hours before cutting them into neat squares. Sprinkle them with confectioner’s sugar before serving!

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars

Tips for success:

  • These Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars are best served cold or even a day or two later making them the perfect bar recipe to prepare in advance!
  • This recipe works with fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen berries, do not thaw them.
  • Sprinkle some chopped nuts ( think pistachios or almonds) on top of your bars before baking to add extra crunch.
Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars
5 from 1 vote
Print

Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars

This berry citrus poppy seed bars recipe is a refreshing way to sweeten your day. Raspberries and blueberries are scattered on a thin layer of citrus cream cheese poppy seed filling and topped with cookie crumbles.

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword berry bars, lemon poppy seed bars, poppy seed bars
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting time 2 hours
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 286 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

  • 1 pack neutral plain cookies like maria cookies about 2 cups
  • 6 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • 1 clementine zested
  • 1/2 orange zested and juiced
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, if frozen do not thaw)
  • 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen, if frozen do not thaw)
  • 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
  • confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Take a 9-inch square springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

  3. Crumble the cookies and press them at the bottom of the pan, pressing them finely to prevent any filling from seeping out.

  4. In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, citrus zests and juices, sugar, poppy seeds and egg. Pour the cream cheese filling over the cookie layer and spread it lightly being careful not to mix the layers.

  5. Top with the berries and add extra cookie crumbles if desired.

  6. Bake for about 30 minutes until the filling has set and edges are golden.
  7. Cool the pan on the counter and in the fridge for 2 hours before cutting. Alternatively, chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

  8. Cut the bars into squares and dust them with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • These Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars are best served cold or even a day or two later making them the perfect bar recipe to prepare in advance!
  • This recipe works with fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen berries, do not thaw them.
  • Sprinkle some chopped nuts ( think pistachios or almonds) on top of your bars before baking to add extra crunch.
Nutrition Facts
Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars
Amount Per Serving
Calories 286 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 36mg12%
Sodium 247mg11%
Potassium 101mg3%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 255IU5%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 44mg4%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

1861shares
  • Share 39
  • Yummly 19
  • Email

Related Posts

Citrus Poppy Seed Loaf with Yogurt GlazeCitrus Poppy Seed Loaf with Yogurt Glaze Ginger Clementine Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Easy one bowl one whisk muffins that BURST with lemon and poppy seed, spiked with a bit of ginger and clementine glaze. Don;t miss this RECIPE for the fluffiest, lightest, freshest tasting lemon poppy seed muffin ever! www.twopurplefigs.comGinger Clementine Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins a plate stacked with healthy oatmeal cookies, an expresso cup and cinnamon sticks on a white marbleHealthy Oatmeal Cookies Cream Cheese Banana Bread Muffins. These are tender moist, intensely banana flavored muffins stuffed with cream cheese, topped with chocolate chips and nuts, then all drenched in cream cheese icing! The perfect treat with a serious comfort twist! Recipe at www.twopurplefigs.comBanana Bread Muffins

Filed Under: Baking, Bars & Brownies, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Holidays, Parties, Recipes Tagged With: Bars, bbq, Berry Bars, Berry Citrus, Berry Citrus Poppy Seed Bars, Berry Crumble, breakfast, Citrus Bars, citrus berry, citrus poppy seed, Crumble Bars, dessert bars, lemon, orange, picnic, poppy seed bars, poppy seed berry, poppy seeds

Previous Post: « Grilled Lamb Shawarma Platter
Next Post: Goat Cheese Pistachio Coated Strawberries »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mona

    August 8, 2018 at 10:30 am

    I love classic recipe.It suits me too much

    Reply
    • Mahy

      August 16, 2018 at 9:40 am

      Thanks Mona!

      Reply
  2. Mahy

    May 24, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    Thanks! 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search for a recipe

Mahy PicHi I'm Mahy, a recipe developer, food stylist, culinary instructor, photographer, wife and busy mom! Welcome to my blog!...Read More

Never Miss a Post!

subscribe and receive fresh recipes to your inbox

Share the Love

As Featured On

Search by category

Footer

Footer logo

About

About Mahy

Sign up to Newsletter

Work with Me

Contact

Recipes

By Life Style

By Course

By Method

By Cuisine

By Occasion

All Recipes

Copyright © 2021 · Privacy Policy

All images and content are copyright protected. Please contact me if you would like to use any images . If you want to republish any of my recipes, please link back to my website and the recipe post.

»
«