Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bar
I hesitate to categorize these Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars as a healthy treat. Not because they aren’t healthy. At just over 140 calories per bar, these vegan treats are sweetened with light brown sugar and maple syrup (NO granulated sugar) and full of great ingredients like oats and Chia seeds, and use no oils of any kind.
No, the reason I hesitate to call them “healthy” is because they’re really delicious and easy to make, and often the “healthy” tag might lead some people to shy away from a particular recipe. Not this one!
Everyone in the family, whether being careful about what they eat or not should enjoy these, but if you are counting calories or being mindful of what you eat, I hope these will make rewarding yourself for all your hard work just a little bit easier!
Ingredients (Makes an 8×8 pan)
- 2 1/2 cups blueberries
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp (plus a pinch) of salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup no sugar added apple sauce
Get Your Berries Going
The first step in this quick and easy recipe is to get your berries on the stove.
Over medium heat, combine the blueberries with the maple syrup, a pinch of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract and the chia seeds. If you don’t have chia seeds handy, you can use a 1:1 replacement of cornstarch, but I prefer getting chia seeds into a recipe wherever possible, and they are great thickeners!
Bring to a gentle boil and then let the mixture cook down for 7-8 minutes, until it begins to thicken, so that the juices hold and coat the back of your spoon. It will still be very loose, but you want to notice SOME thickening.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Batter Up!
What makes this recipe so simple is that the crust and the crumble is the same thing. Mix it together, divide it in half, and assemble!
To get started with this part of the process, combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl – the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
Next add the wet ingredients – the applesauce and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract – and mix until completely combined. If you just stir with a spoon it might seem like the batter is too try to completely combine, but that just means you need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty!
It will be a sticky batter but it will come together, and you’ll know it’s done when all evidence of flour is gone from the sides of your bowl.
Assemble Your Crumble
Now it’s time to put it all together.
Press half of the batter evenly on the bottom (and just up the sides) of a greased 8×8 baking dish. As the batter will be sticky, you will want to either use a spatula you’ve sprayed with cooking spray, or (my personal favorite) a folded over piece of wax paper.
Once you feel you’ve got a nice, even crust, pour your blueberries on top. Take the remaining crust and scatter in small pieces on top of the blueberries, trying to get good coverage over the entire dish.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the filling just starts to bubble and the top and bottom gets a nice light golden brown color.
Patience is a Virtue
Yes, this will smell great coming right out of the oven, but unfortunately this is the kind of item that you cannot eat warm right when it’s done. It requires time to properly set up.
Allow the crumble to cool in the pan, on a baking rack, until it reaches close to room temperature. At that point, cover it and refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours.
Then cut into 12 servings and enjoy! I recommend continuing to store any uneaten pieces in the fridge.
In terms of serving? I happen to prefer it right out of the fridge, while our son likes warming a piece in the microwave for 10-15 seconds first. The only “wrong” thing you could do would be to heat it for so long that the blueberries would break down and lose their cohesion… but that’s not going to happen in a quick burst of the microwave!
I’ve yet to make other versions of this crumble, but I’m sure to do so soon. It would simply be a matter of keeping the ratio of fruit to sweetener to thickener consistent and it should work fine! A strawberry or mixed berry filling comes to mind, as does a tropical mix of say pineapple and mango!
If you experiment with a new filling, please drop me a line and let me know how it comes out!
Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bar
Notes
If you can’t find:
No sugar added applesauce: you can use regular applesauce or cinnamon applesauce, just adjust the calories accordingly.
chia seeds: cornstarch. It works in a 1:1 ratio.
almond extract: vanilla extract, or leave it out.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups blueberries
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp (plus a pinch) of salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup no sugar added apple sauce
Instructions
- Combine blueberries, maple syrup, chia seeds, 1/8 tsp of almond extract and pinch of salt in sauce pan. Bring to gentle boil.
- Cook down for 7-8 minutes until begins to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl: flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt
- Add in wet ingredients: remaining 1/8 tsp of almond extract and applesauce
- Mix well until completely combined (no flour left in bowl).
- Divide mixture in half.
- Press 1/2 of batter in bottom of greased 8×8 baking dish.
- Top with cooked down blueberries
- Break off remaining batter into small pieces and scatter on top of blueberries
- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top and bottom
- Let cool completely on wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours
- Cut into 12 pieces and serve cold or microwave for 10 seconds
Nutrition Facts
Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bar
Serves: 12 pieces
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 piece
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 143 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 1 g | 1.5% | |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 | |
| Sodium 76 mg | 3.2% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 32 g | 10.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 2 g | 8% | |
| Sugars 15 g | ||
| Protein 3 g | ||
| Vitamin A 0% | Vitamin C 6 % | |
| Calcium 0 % | Iron 2 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Lighten Up!
