Blueberry Oat Bars

Scrumptiously buttery and high in fiber? Hard to believe, I know. George doesn't eat anything with seeds, so I had to adapt my favorite raspberry bar recipe to be seedless and shareable. I threw in more fiber and whole grains, then balanced the flavors with the tang of lemon zest. I've also called upon the trick of smaller portions, cutting a 9x13 pan into 24 small squares.

Blueberry Oat Bars

Makes 24 small bars

Crust
3 sticks butter, cold
2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat flakes*
1/4 cup oat flakes*
3/4 cup brown sugar (or raw sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
zest of a small lemon (or 1 tsp dried zest)
pinch of salt
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

Filling
4 cups blueberries (if using frozen, thaw enough to smash slightly)
1 cup blueberry jam (if unable to find, use grape)
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350º and spray or butter a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Crust mix, straight from the Cuisinart

In a food processor or using a pastry cutter, cut butter into all of the crust ingredients except the oats, until butter is smaller than pea sized. Add the oats, just to combine. Press two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared dish. Bake 20 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and make filling.

Crust comes out of the oven, golden brown

Mix filling ingredients together, smashing blueberries slightly, just to break some of them for more coverage. Pour over the crust and spread as evenly as possible.

Blueberry-grape filling mixture


Pour filling over the crust, spreading to cover as much as possible.

Pour remaining crust over the top of the filling, covering evenly. Press down slightly, taking care not to burn yourself on the hot pan. Bake another 20-25 minutes, just until golden brown on the top of the crust and the filling bubbles at the edges. Let cool 20 minutes, then cut into small bars and cool completely.

Cooling bars, pre-cut

*These ingredients are typically available in bulk at a natural foods store. If unavailable in your area, replace with oats.