A handful of ingredients is all you need to make these crumbly, golden sweet and fruity blueberry oat bars.
So, blueberries aren’t my favorite berry, There, I said it. I know they are super heathy, and packed with nutrients, but I just can’t pop them back raw like I can with a raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry. Nevertheless, I LOVE them in baked goods. Blueberry muffins are my favorite muffins (you can find my recipe for bakery style blueberry muffins here!), and I really wanted to create a batch of perfect blueberry oat bars. I’m fairly certain that I did just that, but don’t take my work for it, whip up a pan for yourself and let me show you how easy it is to create a mouthwatering oat bar in just about an hour.
What you’ll need to make these blueberry oat bars:
Fresh blueberries (frozen works in a pinch, but definitely opt for fresh when you can)
Granulated sugar
Cornstarch
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Old fashioned oats
All purpose flour
Dark brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Baking soda
Salted butter
The Fruit Filling
This sweet blueberry preserve is made with only four ingredients: blueberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and fresh lemon juice. It’s packed with flavor, and would be incredible on or in so many other baking creations (think on pancakes / fresh brioche, or as a filling for baked French toast). This easy preserve takes about five minutes to make, so I highly recommend making your own blueberry fruit filling. You can of course substitute in a store bought jam, but do so only at the highest quality (minimum ingredients preferred).
Of course if you prefer another berry, by all means sub that one in! Raspberries or blackberries would be especially delicious in these oat bars. Also, I prefer a rather thin layer of fruit filling to crumb crust and topping, but if you like a thick layer of filling, go ahead and double the preserves recipe.
The Crumble Crust + Topping
This buttery, dark brown sugar sweetened crust and topping are one and the same. Made with old fashioned oats, all purpose flour, dark brown sugar, pure salted butter, and a generous amount of ground cinnamon, it’s the perfect “sandwich” for the homemade preserves. Because the crust and topping are the same, you will simply reserve two cups of the mixture to crumble over the fruit once you have spread that on the crust portion. Easy as pie. Ok not pie, easy as .. oat bars.
Dietary Substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either use and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy:
Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour. If you want to ensure that your oats are gluten free, Bob’s Red Mill makes a certified gluten free old fashioned oat as well.
Miyokos Butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
I hope you love these amazing bars and make them often! Tag me if you do bake up a batch, and I’d appreciate a review if you loved them!
XO,
Heather
Blueberry Oat Bars
Ingredients
- FOR THE PRESERVES:
- 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- FOR THE CRUMBLE:
- 2 ½ Cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
Instructions
- Begin by making the preserves. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium to high heat, combine the blueberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Using a potato masher, mash the berries until they are slightly chunky but more on the puréed side. You can also leave larger chunks of blueberries if you prefer that.
- Stir the preserves with a spoon for about 3 to 5 minutes or until they begin to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature either in the refrigerator or on the counter on a hot pad.
- For the crumble, combine all ingredients except the butter in a medium to large mixing bowl, and whisk for about 20 seconds. Chop butter into tablespoon size pieces, and add to the mixture. Using a pastry cutter or a spoon by hand, combine until a crumbly mixture forms, about a minute or so.
- Remove 2 cups of the mixture and place in a different bowl. Take the remainder of the mixture and pour into the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Using the back end of a larger measuring cup, press firmly down until mixture is evenly set in the pan. Next, pour the preserves over the crust portion of the mixture, and spread evenly across crust.
- Lastly, crumble the remaining 2 cups of the mixture over the preserves, ensuring that you do not press down as you want these to become golden and stay more crumbly.
- Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes, or until slightly golden on top. Remove an allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. You can serve these bars warm and they will be incredibly soft and crumbly, or you can allow them to go completely and they will be more stable. They will take about two hours to cool completely. Serve as is or top with vanilla bean ice cream. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Enjoy!
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