Ah, Brunch. It’s the best meal ever, don’t you think? It’s a meal where basically anything goes – breakfast items, lunch items, sweet and savory on the same plate. Plus it’s often served late enough that you can sleep in, and alcohol is usually on the menu too – what could be better? I am always looking for new additions to my brunch recipe rotation, and when I stumbled across this one for Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars, I knew I had to give them a shot for my next brunch date:
Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars
INGREDIENTS:
Crust and Crumble Topping
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (don’t use quick cook or instant, they’re finer and behave like flour and will make mixture too dry)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
pinch salt, optional and to taste
Blueberry Layer
12 ounces (2 cups) blueberries (fresh or frozen; I used frozen and didn’t thaw)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
DIRECTIONS:
-Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside. Lining the pan helps with cleanup and is recommended.
-Make Crust and Crumble Topping – In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power. Add the flour, oats, sugars, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will be dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces. Set 1 heaping cup mixture aside to be sprinkled on later as crumble topping.
Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
-Make Blueberry Layer – In a large mixing bowl (same one used for crust and crumble is okay), add all ingredients and toss to combine. If sugar hasn’t dissolved fully that’s okay because it liquifies while baking. Evenly distribute blueberry mixture over the crust.
-Evenly sprinkle with the reserved heaping 1 cup crumble topping mixture. Before sprinkling, I squeeze the mixture in my palm to encourage bigger crumble pieces to form.
-Bake for about 55 minutes, or until edges are set and center has just set. Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden. I used frozen berries without thawing and the pan was very cold going into the oven. If using fresh berries, baking time will be reduced, but I’m not sure by how much, I’d guess at least 10-15 minutes, possibly less. Bars may take longer than 55 minutes if blueberries are very juicy. Watch your bars, not the clock, when evaluating doneness. Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. If you try to slice bars before they’ve cooled completely, they’ll be extremely messy and could fall apart. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Various stages of bar preparation
Adorable tiny sous chef preps the crust
Layering it up and getting it ready for the oven
The finished product – golden and delicious
It was easy to put this together (especially since I had a helper!) and get it in the oven – it took a bit longer to bake than 55 minutes for me though – I would say an additional 15 on top of that before it even started to brown on top
Additionally, I should have waited longer than half an hour after it came out to try and cut it – it was a MESS. Next time I think I will leave them to cool/set up overnight before attempting to cut them
All that being said – they were pretty tasty – the buttery crumble of the crust against the slightly tart berries was lovely – an easy, delicious addition to brunch – one that could easily be changed up with different fruits/berries depending on the season!
Modern Day Betty Crocker 