The Blueberry Breakfast Bar

My first job was picking blueberries. Really. At that time, Harper's Blueberry Farm paid 50 cents for every picked and sorted pound of blueberries one could manage. I remember going home with more money than any of my friends, but only because they ate half their berries whereas I had to make myself eat mine. I prefer my blueberries warm and oozing and surrounded by sugar, thank you very much. Sad, but true.

That's probably why, after my recent berry picking adventure, I immediately began searching for a few different ways to bake these bright blue jewels. And by different I mean not cobbler, pie, or muffin. After perfecting a heavenly Pecan Blueberry Pancake (to be featured in my aforementioned foodbook), I was still hoping for something... something... well, something that would be equally welcome as a leisurely dessert, a mid-day nibble, or a quick breakfast. I found it, courtesy of Susan, a fellow farmgirl and foodie. This, then, is my adaptation of her delicious recipe, and what I'll continue to do with the blueberries, nutmeg, and vanilla beans hanging around the Freeman House kitchen...

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

Adapted from Farmgirl Fare

Crust

2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup flour (all-purpose)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

10 T. (1 stick plus 2 T.) butter, melted

1 t. vanilla (or ½ vanilla bean, split and seeded)

Berries (Middle Layer)

3 ½ cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 t. almond extract (I use vanilla sometimes instead)

1 cup sugar

3 T. flour

½ t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon

Topping

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

5 T. butter, cold

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease a 9" x 13" baking dish. For the crust, in a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix in melted butter and vanilla until combined. Press evenly into the bottom of your greased baking dish.

Next, tumble blueberries into the bowl you just emptied. Add almond extract and stir lightly until coated. Pour berries evenly over pan’s bottom layer. Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over blueberries.

For the topping, use a fork or pastry blender to combine flour, brown sugar, and butter until it resembles large crumbs and clumps. Sprinkle over berries.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake another 20-25 minutes or until top is golden and edges begin to turn brown. Don’t over bake.

Let bars cool before cutting and storing in airtight container or refrigerator. Bars may be individually wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.


Yum. If you have any berries lying around the kitchen, I urge you: try these. If you don't, keep an eye out for the frozen ones to go on sale. It's worth it. These bars are delicious warm, cold, and everywhere in between. (And of course, ice cream, whipped cream, and extra cinnamon don't hurt either.)
Hope you enjoy! -Brin