Blueberry Bars

Have you been baking, friends? 'Tis the season!

This creation comes from a place of being a health coach. And you can't bring fatty dishes to health coach parties, friends. Especially not for breakfast. 

These are hearty and fulfilling, and we love blueberries around here, so I keep them in our freezer year round. 

1/16 of the recipe is less than 200 calories (I'm guessing around 150). I use Land O Lakes light butter, because that's the only light butter in the grocery store around here. 

As a note, served warm as a dessert, they would benefit from just a little teeny-tiny bit of ice cream. And this health coach won't tell on you...

Enjoy!

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

• CRUST AND TOPPING:
• 1 cup whole wheat white flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup Splenda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted light butter, cold and cut into small cubes
• 2 1/2 cups quick-cook oats
• 2 tablespoons apple or orange juice
• FILLING:
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat white flour
• Pinch of salt
• 3 1/2 cups (18 ounces) fresh blueberries (you could use raspberries or blackberries, too)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

How to make it

1.        Heat the oven to 375º. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan with cooking spray.

2.        Add the flour, light brown sugar, Splenda and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse once or twice to combine, then add the butter and pulse five or six more times until coarse crumbs form. Add the oats and pulse two or three more times.

3.        Remove 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set it aside. Add the juice to the remaining mixture and pulse three or four times until it's just moistened. Press this mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup.

4.        For the filling, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Add the fruit and lemon juice and gently toss the mixture using a rubber spatula until the fruit is coated. Distribute the filling over the crust.

5.        Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the filling. Bake the dish until the top is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours, then cut the sheet into 16 bars. Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.