Blueberry Oat Bars
Summer is so close I can almost taste it. I say this as an occupational therapist in the schools where I think everyone can use a break, myself included (Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. But if you work with kids all day I’m sure you understand). I also say this as a food lover starting to notice a larger variety of fresh fruits and vegetables coming back into the stores. I just ate corn on the cob yesterday that was a burst of summer goodness in my mouth. I realize that corn really isn’t in season in Michigan right now and I have no idea where it came from (isn’t that horrible??) but it was still delicious. Ask me again in a few months and I’ll probably realize the corn we ate yesterday was not very good. It’s just been so long since my last fresh corn I’m pretty sure I forget these things.
As fruits and vegetables start to get into season, and get a lot cheaper because of that, I’ll be sure to be using lots of them in my cooking and baking. While it’s kind of still transitioning into that summer harvest season, this is a great recipe to try! It uses frozen blueberries, but still tastes oh so fresh. It’s like a blueberry crumble/bar/pie/amazing-thing-you-must-try. Don’t pass this one up.
You can eat these bars 2 ways. So versatile! You’re welcome. Option 1 would be to follow the instructions and let these bars cool (maybe even refrigerate) before serving. This makes it more like something that you can use your hands to pick up and eat. This would be a very civilized way to eat these blueberry oat bars.
Another way (option 2) to eat these is as follows:
- Wait impatiently by the oven while the bars cook, slowly realizing that the smell is becoming so wonderful it’s hard to stand.
- Once the timer finally goes off, briskly take them out to admire your creation.
- Wait about 1 minute, following the directions to let the bars cool completely.
- Decide that it’s ridiculous to even try waiting.
- Place an entire carton of ice cream or whipped cream on top, find your very best friends, and quickly eat the entire pan.
- Reflect about what just happened and decide that you did the right thing.
Option 2 is the more likely scenario once you smell the bars coming out of the oven and see how bubbly and golden brown and perfect they are. Maybe you’re a better person than me but I dare you not to at least think about option number 2. Just saying.
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- 10 ounces of frozen blueberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8x8" pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment. I lined the bottom and up 2 sides of the pan so that I could use the parchment to pull the bars out of the pan. Spray the parchment with more cooking spray.
- Combine crust/crumble ingredients in a bowl until they form a crumble mixture.
- Set 1 cup of crumble aside for the topping.
- Press the remainder of the mixture into the bottom of the lined pan, making sure it is evenly pressed.
- Toss all blueberry filling ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Evenly distribute over the uncooked crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crumble mixture over the top of the blueberries.
- Bake 55 minutes, or until edges start to set and the crumble is starting to turn golden.
- Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. If you want the bars to set more, place in the refrigerator once cooled for an additional 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Store in the refrigerator or in an airtight container.
05.05.2016 @ 4:59 pm
I am all for option 2! haha
Wallflower Weekly Finds, 65 - Cooking with a Wallflower
05.07.2016 @ 3:00 am
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