Blueberry Crumble Bars

Friends,

It’s been a hot minute. A hot minute since I updated this little online space of mine.

How are you lovelies?

Would you believe it’s been over a year since we chatted here? Time is such a funny thing. In some ways I really can’t believe it’s been that long, and yet in other ways this year has felt like a marathon of never ending time and it feels like a lifetime since I was here.

What can I say? 2022 has been a year. Life just happened in so many ways, and I was having a hard time finding joy in creativity… or rather I was having a hard time mustering creativity in the first place.

Somehow taking it one day at a time turned into months and months. I needed routine, and simplicity. So more and more I just needed the comfort of familiar things. This year I found myself returning to old recipes. Recipes that have been my favourites for years and hold a nostalgic place in my heart. Honestly, I don’t know how many times I made just plain old Chocolate Chip Cookies this year, but I can tell you it was a lot.

So, last week I just baked up something familiar; something undeniably delicious. As I was slicing them into squares I couldn’t help but gaze at the soft afternoon sunlight beaming in through the patio door. The warm light was dancing across Kelsey’s wood coffee table so beautifully, I just couldn’t help but feel the urge to pull out my camera. I’ll admit it’s been a while, since I felt that urge, and it felt so good to have it again. A little spark from my heart. It made me feel a little bit like me again.

So I took some simple photos that made me smile. But this time I tried to be different. I didn’t bother with props. I didn’t overshoot in an effort to ensure a perfect shot for instagram. I just took a few photos because I wanted to, and then I ate a blueberry bar… okay maybe two… while sipping on an iced coffee on the living room floor in the sun with my camera by my side.

And It was lovely. Lovely to take photos just for the pure joy of it. Lovely to eat a fresh, buttery blueberry bar in between sips of chocolatey coffee. Lovely to feel the sun on my face, and the warm breeze through the patio door. Lovely to remember what it felt like before it all.

I hope you have been finding joy too lovelies.

Please enjoy this recipe + blog post words from July 2016…

First things first – I’m not sure if you guys already know this, but just in case you didn’t, I thought I would tell you something pretty awesome; It’s officially Friday! YAY!!!

So in honour of this glorious day, what say you and I celebrate by baking up some deliciousness, in the form of these Blueberry Crumble Bars, which we can then spend our weekends devouring – that is if it lasts you the whole weekend, (psst… they won’t in my house,) Sound good? Alright then, let’s do this!

Confession: I’ve been making this recipe for years, and just realized this week that I somehow neglected to share it on my blog! In my opinion this is basically just a straight up crime, because these bars are just too dang good to be missed. That’s why I was so excited to get this recipe featured on the Tastes of Lizzy T Website to share !

They have the most incredible blueberry filling, which is sandwiched between thick layers of crisp, buttery oatmeal crumble crust & topping… I’m seriously starting to drool just thinking about them. Subtle hints of lemon zest & cinnamon are what make the flavour of these bars extra amazing.

Truth be told, the real reason I love these bars so much (I mean apart from how stinkin’ delicious they are), is that they totally rock as a yummy snack & while simultaneously doubling as an killer dessert. That’s right, these bars are so much more than just another pretty face my friends 😉

Not only are they super portable for wrapping up as a quick and easy on-the-go breaky or snack; but also, if you eat them warm from the oven, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream atop of the crisp oatmeal crumble, & gooey blueberry filling……….. I don’t think I need to explain any further why that’s just amazing.

Suffice to say, these Blueberry Crumble Bars pretty much become a main food group in my house once blueberry season strikes. Like as in, I bake a tray at least once a week, which we then proceed to eat for breakfast, snacks and dessert until all that’s left is an empty pan with a few stray crumbs… HA! I’m just kidding! We of course don’t leave any crumbs behind, because that would just be craziness.

So yeah, I think you understand where I’m going with this. We are kinda, sorta addicted to these blueberry bars, and I promise once you give the recipe a try, you will be too! Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

So here it is lovelies & I hope you enjoy!

Fresh Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars

Things you need… 

Blueberry Filling
3 1/2 cups fresh Blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
6 tsp Cornstarch

Crumb Crust & Topping
2 1/2 cups Large Flake Rolled Oats
1 1/4 cups Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup cold Butter, cubed

How to make…

Filling

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, mix together blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow the berries to cook down until tender – this should take about 10 minutes. Mix your cornstarch with 2 tbsp of cold water and add to the blueberries, stirring constantly until thickened about another 1-2 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat, and pour into a heat proof bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling and refrigerate until completely cool, about one hour.

Crumb Crust & Topping

Meanwhile, prepare your crumb crust and topping. Line a 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl mix together oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and you have pea sized bits of butter. Set aside in a cool place or in the refrigerator until your filling has cooled and you are ready to assemble your bars.

Once your filling has cooled, press about 1/2 of the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of your pan using your hands and being sure that you press into all four corners. Next, spread the blueberry filling evenly over top of your crust. Finally, top the blueberry filling with the remaining crumb for your topping, evenly coating the blueberry filling.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crumb topping is a nice golden brown colour and the blueberry filling is bubbling around the outer edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan, before cutting into squares. Or You could serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream… DO IT!

Once cooled, use the parchment paper to life the blueberry bars from the pan and place on top of a cutting board. Cut your blueberry bars evenly to the size you want; I usually cut them into 9 or 16 equal squares.