Another dessert recipe that doubles as breakfast in summer
Got this one from Pinterest from an unknown source. If you like berry crumbles, these’ll be right up your alley as “bars” is really a loose term for how you can cut them; as you might know, berries have that ability to seep through crust and make themselves be known.
Ingredients:
Crust & topping:
1 1/2 c rolled oats
3/4 c whole wheat or all-purpose flour (I like to use whole wheat for more substance)
1/3 c raw cane sugar
1 1/2 tbsp of lemon zest (1 lemon)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c room temperature coconut oil, or 3/4 c vegan butter of choice (I’d use Melt Organic for this)
Filling:
2 1/2 c fresh blueberries (organic preferred)
5-6 tbsp raspberry jam*
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 375 F and line an 8×8″ pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, sugar, zest, baking powder and salt. Using your hands, incorporate the coconut oil or butter and mix until a dough forms. It should stick together and not be very crumbly. Gently press 2/3 of the dough onto the bottom of the pan. Bake for 13 minutes.
Prepare the filling in a medium bowl. Spoon it over the warm crust and sprinkle the remaining dough over the berries. Bake for 27 minutes; the top should be slightly brown and the filling bubbly. Remove and cool. Refrigerate for two hours before cutting and serving. Store for up to 4 days. Serves 8 bars or 16 smaller bars.
Tips:
- If you use coconut oil, the crust will be a bit more loose and the bars may not cut cleanly.
- Use a good knife to cut as it can be tough to crack that bottom crust, especially when just taken out of the fridge.
- You can eat these cold, but I prefer them warm, even in summer.
* I used black currant jam for this photo which was great, but your bars may look lighter if you use raspberry or strawberry jam. My default is raspberry, but use whatever’s your jam!
The top photo shows the bars cold and the photo below shows it after heated.
