Blueberry Crumble Bars

Summer in a Dessert

Everyone knows summer is berry season which is why these blueberry crumble bars make the perfect summer dessert. They aren’t overly sweet and the freshness from the blueberries makes them extra delicious.

I love topping mine with vegan whipped cream for the perfect summer dessert. You can also swap out the blueberries for any fruit of your choice, or you could do a mixture of fruits.

Vegan butter: any vegan butter will work. You can also try liquid oil or normal butter if you aren’t vegan.

All-purpose flour: I haven’t tested any other flours in this recipe.

Sugar: I used cane sugar in this recipe. Any granulated sugar will work such as monk fruit or white sugar.

Nondairy milk: I always use unsweetened almond milk. Any nondairy milk will work. If you aren’t vegan, traditional milk should also work.

Blueberries: I used a mix of fresh and frozen blueberries. Either one will work in this recipe.

Maple syrup: I like using maple syrup as one of the sweeteners in this recipe as it isn’t overly sweet but gives the right amount of flavor. You could substitute with agave or any liquid sweetener of your choice.

Oats: I used rolled oats in the topping for this recipe. I haven’t tested with quick oats and would recommend just sticking with rolled.

Cinnamon: the cinnamon is optional; however, I find it adds good flavor to these bars.

Ingredients:

• Vegan butter

• All-purpose flour

• Sugar

• Vanilla extract

• Nondairy milk

• Blueberries

• Maple syrup

• Oats

• Cinnamon

Recipe:

SMALL BATCH RECIPE (makes about 6 bars). Double the recipe for more.

Base:

• ¼ cup vegan butter

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons nondairy milk

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Middle:

• 1 cup blueberries

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 Top:

• 1/3 cup vegan butter

• ¼ cup sugar

• ¾ cup oats

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• ¼ cup flour (if not crumbly enough, go up to 1/3 cup)

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray (if doubling the recipe, use a 9-inch brownie pan).

2.    Start by making the base. In a small bowl add the butter (1/4 cup) and microwave until melted. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and add in the sugar (1/4 cup), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and nondairy milk (3 tablespoons). Stir until combined. Add in the flour (1 cup) and mix until a dough is formed.

3.    Transfer to the baking pan and press down evenly. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

4.    While that is baking, start on the middle layer. To a large bowl, add in the blueberries (1 cup), maple syrup (1/4 cup), and sugar (1/4 cup). Stir to combine. Add in the flour (2 tablespoons). Stir again. Once all well combined, use a fork to mash the blueberries. They don’t need to be fully mashed but about 90% as you don’t want chunks of them.

5.    Once the base is done in the oven, add the blueberry mixture on top. Set aside.

6.    To make the topping, start by melting the butter. Melt in a small bowl. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and add in the sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon. Mix until you have a crumbly texture.

7.    Evenly spread the topping across the pan.

8.    Bake for 20-27 minutes or until the topping gets a slight crisp color.

9.    Optional: once completely cooled, slice and top with vegan whipped cream or vegan ice cream.

Be sure to store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The bars should last up to one-two weeks. You can store in the freezer to last longer.

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