Makes 16 bars | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes
Picking fat, sweet blueberries with my mom is one of my most vivid childhood memories. Each summer we would fill up buckets at the pick-your-own farm, and then bring them home. After having our fill of fresh ones, we would freeze the rest to enjoy during the long and brutal Western New York winter. I loved adding some to my morning cereal and watching the milk freeze around the berries—fun!
I haven’t taken my three kids blueberry picking yet, but luckily they still have a fondness for these antioxidant-packed treats. Blueberries are loaded with anthocyanins and research shows it’s this plant compound that makes the berry so good for us. Plenty of studies have found blueberries to be promising in reversing age-related declines in cognitive and motor function, and they may also help women cut their risk of having a heart attack by a third. Did I mention they’re high in fiber and only have 84 calories per cup?
You’ll only be able to get your hands on fresh blueberries until early fall, so stock up while you can! Freeze some, and use some to make these delicious and low sugar bars. They’re great for an afternoon snack at work or at home, and are the perfect thing to bring for a late summer picnic. I cut way back on the sugar in this recipe because ripe berries don’t need much, but you can increase the sugar in the berry mixture (up to ¼ cup) if your batch is a bit on the sour side.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned
- rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground
- cinnamon
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup whole milk vanilla yogurt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine the flours, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt, then mix in the butter with clean hands. The mixture will be thick.
3. Set aside ¾ cup of the oat mixture. Place the remaining mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan and spread it evenly to the edges with a spatula.
4. Combine the berries with the sugar, lemon juice and zest, and cornstarch in a bowl. Pour the blueberry mixture into the baking dish and distribute the reserved topping evenly on top.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the topping is set and the berries are bubbling. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing into 16 squares.