I have been searching for a blueberry crumb bar that I can enjoy as a snack and feed my kids without feeling like I’m giving them a sweet treat. Enter these “healthyish” blueberry oat crumb bars. Made with plenty of oats, blueberries, and just enough sugar and butter to make them delicious. They’re delightful alongside a cup of coffee. Because they’re healthyish (not overly sweet + made with oats + fruit), they can pass as breakfast, snack, OR dessert. They can also be made dairy-free and gluten-free by using coconut oil instead of butter and GF oats. The original recipe comes from Ambitious Kitchen.
Healthyish Blueberry Oat Crumb Bars
These healthyish bars are reminscent of a blueberry crisp. Made with oats and oat flour, these delicious bars are filling and just sweet enough so they can pass as breakfast OR dessert!
Servings: 9 large squares
Equipment
- 8 or 9 inch square pan
Ingredients
Crust & Topping
- 1½ cups oat*, all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1 cup rolled oats (large flake)
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, melted (can substitute melted coconut oil* see notes)
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Blueberry Filling
- 2½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with a parchment paper sling then generously grease with cooking spray or butter.
Crust & Topping
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Pour melted butter, vanilla, and almond extract over top and mix until dough clumps together to form a crumble.
- Pour about 2 cups of the crumble into the prepared pan, and set aside the remaining 1 cup to use as the topping later.
- Using your hands, press the crumble evenly into the pan to form the crust.
Blueberry Filling
- In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients for the filling and cook over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, press down on some of the blueberries as they cook to break them down.
- Bring mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and cook for 3-5 minutes or until filling has thickened slightly. It should coat the back of your spoon. Remove from heat and pour onto prepared crust, spreading evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining cup of crumble mixture over the top of the filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbling and topping is golden.
- Let pan cool completely on a wire rack, then transfer to the fridge. Chilled bars are easier to cut. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the parchment sling out. Place them on a cutting board and cut into squares.
Notes
- Oat flour can be made by grinding quick oats or rolled oats in a blender or food processor until they resemble a flour.
- Coconut oil can be used instead of butter, however the bars will be more crumbly. I also preferred the taste of bars made with butter but coconut oil does work if you need these to be dairy free.