Last week I bought a container of blueberries because they looked so fresh and inviting.
By the following week they were starting to shrivel in the fridge — nothing drastic, just a few wrinkles. Perfect candidates for baking.
I wanted to make granola-style bars but with fresh blueberries, imagining the berries popping like they do in pancakes and muffins. The idea of warm crumbs bursting with blueberries sounded irresistible.
So I mixed whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, brown sugar and a pinch of salt. To keep things flavorful I added vanilla and melted butter, which brought the mixture together into a fragrant, crumbly dough. Yes, there’s butter — and yes, it makes these bars delightfully rich.
The blueberries did pop a bit while baking, just as I hoped. The first bite was everything I wanted: a combination of blueberry crumble, cobbler and muffin in one. The warm center and sticky berry pockets paired with the cinnamon-oat topping made them almost impossible to resist — I nearly finished a whole row before remembering to photograph them.
These are best eaten once completely cooled. While warm they’re delicious, but they don’t hold together well until they set. Allow them to cool fully — up to 45 minutes — before slicing into bars. Once cooled, they develop a pleasant crunch and the texture becomes more bar-like, reminiscent of a blueberry cinnamon streusel.
If you can’t wait for them to cool, crumble a warm piece over yogurt or, better yet, ice cream. Warm, crumbly blueberry topping over cold vanilla ice cream is a perfect contrast and, frankly, one of my favorite ways to eat these.
Blueberry Crumble Bars
12 bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter + 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup blueberries
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
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In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Melt 1/2 cup of the butter and add it with the vanilla extract to the oat mixture. Stir until the mixture is moistened; this may take a minute or two. Gently fold in the blueberries — a little popping is fine and expected.
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Butter and flour an 8×8-inch baking pan. Press most of the batter into the pan to form the base. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle it over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes, then allow the bars to cool completely (up to 45 minutes) before cutting. Store in a sealed container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
We only have a few left, and I’m already plotting how to keep them away from prying hands. They’re that good.