What I love about these Blueberry Crumble Bars:
- The color
- They could be breakfast
- They could also be dessert
- They are 100% whole grain (whole wheat flour + rolled oats)
- They just happen to be the perfect little lunchbox treat
- You can totally dress them up by cutting them a bit smaller and serving them in a fancy cupcake liner
- Blueberries just happen to be in season right now and are super cheap 🙂
As far as baked blueberry items go, these are a favorite of mine by a landslide! I used the same crumble dough last year with my Fresh and Easy Peach Preserves inside and I must say, the blueberry bars win! It might have been the fact that I used more filling but it also might be that I really dig the perfectly sweet/tart blueberries + cinnamon + big clumps of brown sugary dough. Who wouldn’t totally fall in love with these? Oh that’s right… my children. You know, the kids who will eat blueberries frozen or fresh but will not touch a Blueberry Crumble Bar?? Yeah. Them. Seriously.
Speaking of kids, I’m about to have another one very soon! If you’ve been wondering where the heck I’ve been let me just put it to you like this…. I’m huge. Massive. Pregnant as ever. And cooking as of late has been a little hectic. Heck… everything has been a little hectic. The other day I even Googled the phrase “Pregnant belly got hot while cooking” because opps, it was pressed up against the stove and it didn’t even cross my mind that maybe that was a bad thing until I was already done. Dr. Google told me that the amniotic fluid around the baby is temperature regulated and I should have no fear. Whew! Thank you amniotic fluid for saving me on that Mommy fail moment! What would I do without Dr. Google?
Notes About the Recipe
- These bars are not overly, sickeningly sweet. Every. Single. Time. I eat a store bought fruit bar I end up with a stomach ache. Not the case here!
- Do NOT… I recipe.. Do NOT try to cut the bars right out of the oven or you might end up with a purple colored disaster! I let the bars cool for a good 45 minutes-1 hour before even looking their way or thinking about cutting them. I know, it is tempting, but don’t do it! 🙂
- Parchment paper is also a must here. I know, I hate it too because it always wants to roll up but press that parchment paper down and make it work!
- The dough is a great base for various fruits. If you get creative and decide to try another variety, give me the deets in the comments. I’d love to hear what you did!
- Recipe inspiration from Whole Grain Fruit Filled Bars, right out of the Weelicious Lunches cookbook by Catherine McCord of Weelicious. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Blueberry Crumble Bars
By Published: August 8, 2015
- Yield: 8-10 bars, 16 squares (8 Servings)
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Ready In: 55 mins
What I love about these Blueberry Crumble Bars: The color They could be breakfast They could also be dessert They are …
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh blueberries for filling
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar for filling
- 1/4 cup water for filling
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon for filling
- 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour for dough
- 1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats for dough
- 1/2 heaping cup brown sugar for dough
- 1 tsp baking powder for dough
- 1/2 tsp salt for dough
- 1/2 tsp cinnamom for dough
- 1 and 1/2 sticks cold butter for dough
- 3-4 Tbsp milk, cold for dough
Instructions
- For filling: Add all ingredients to small sauce pan over medium heat on the stove. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until blueberries have broken down and sauce begins to thicken. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Cool slightly before using.
- For Dough: In the bowl of a food processor add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Cut cold butter into small chunks, then add butter and milk to food processor and pulse until dough comes together (you may have to dump ingredients into a mixing bowl and use your hands to press everything together evenly).
- Assembly: Line 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Allow some paper to hang over the edges of your baking dish for easy removal.Press 1/2 of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish. Pour blueberry filling over the dough, then crumble the remaining 1/2 dough on top of filling. No need to press down this time. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden.
- To finish: Allow bars to cool for a minimum of 45 minutes. Gently pull parchment paper and bars out of baking dish. Using a chef knife, cut bars into equal sections or squares.
Made these today and OMG! THEY. ARE. AWESOME!!! My 12 year old gobbled them up and my 9 year old likes them too! When apples come in to season I think I will try those too. Thank you!
I’m so glad your family liked them Monica! I was totally thinking apples with this recipe too, and pumpkin!