We've made this recipe twice in the past week because it's THAT GOOD. All the goodness of a blueberry pie, but in bar form. They are naturally gluten free AND vegan, which is a bonus because we have a vegan friend who loves good desserts. No weird ingredients, just a super awesome method to making them. If you still haven't taken advantage of blueberry season, I suggest you start now and try these bars!
Blueberry Pie Bars
Makes 9
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8X8" baking dish with parchment paper. Make the crust and topping by placing the oat flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl; stir. Pour in the coconut oil and stir until the dough starts to clump together. Place about 3/4 of the mixture into the baking dish and press the dough out evenly. Set the remaining oat mixture aside. To make the blueberry pie filling, add the blueberries, maple syrup, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then stir constantly until the mixture is thick. Take off the heat and add the vanilla. Pour the blueberry mixture over the crust and evenly spread. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top of the berries. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden. Allow bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Gather your ingredients. You will need oat flour, quick oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, fresh blueberries, maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla.
For the crust and topping, in a mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cups oat flour, 1 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar....
.....1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir. Add 1/2 cup coconut oil. I have found that I love coconut oil in liquid form. It's so easy and wonderful to use in place of butter or vegetable oil. If you have solid coconut oil, just melt to get 1/2 cup.
Stir all together.
Place about 3/4 of the mixture in the bottom of a prepared 8X8" baking dish covered in parchment. Press to distribute evenly. You may have to sneak a bit of this heavenly mix as you are doing it. When you're the baker, you get these privileges!
For the blueberry pie filling, in a saucepan combine 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries with 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup and 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. Stir over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Continue stirring until the the blueberries are soft and the juices are thickened.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the blueberry filling over the crust.
Using your spatula, even the blueberries out until it covers the entire crust.
Take the remaining crust and sprinkle it on top like a crumble. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until blueberry filling is bubbling and top is golden.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing with parchment to a cutting board.
Cut into 9 bars (3X3) and serve! We love to top ours with coconut whipped cream made with coconut milk!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe on Thyme and Love