The EASIEST Blueberry Crumb Bars You’ll Ever Make

These blueberry crumb bars are bursting with juicy antioxidant rich blueberries and topped with a nice crunchy oat crumble.

I’ve been iching for a sweet treat lately but also wanted something that was…

Easy to whip up

Used ingredients I already had

Low in sugar

Didn’t leave me feeling guilty about myself

A great companion to Scandal which returns tonight 🙂

These blueberry bars checked all of those boxes and more. I’m trying to limit the amount of sugar that I consume and have almost completely eliminated granulated sugar due to the detrimental affects on your body.

When consumed in high quantities sugar has the following affects on your body:

Heart – Research has shown that mass amount of sugar, especially glucose stresses out your ticker and decreases it’s functions

Brain – there are studies which suggest a linkage between depression and high sugar intake because sugar rewires the brains pathways

Kidneys – the most important affect is that increased amounts of sugar affect your body’s filtration system leading to diabetes

Luckily you don’t need to worry about these things with this recipe!

You may use whatever sugar you have on hand but I HIGHLY recommend using coconut palm sugar. Does it cost a lil more? Yes but there is no price on the importance of heath and avoiding diseases that you have control over.

Coconut palm sugar is one of the healthiest sugars you can consume. It’s low in the glycemic index and so full of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. AND it tastes great! It tastes similar to brown sugar but with a slight molasses taste. I’ve found that it adds more depth and flavour to my baked goods.

So what the heck IS coconut palm sugar?

It is a natural sugar made from sap of coconut trees.

First the flower of the coconut palm is cut and then the liquid sap is collected. The sap is then heat treated until most of the water has evaporated.

Coconut palm sugar contains some pretty ‘sweet’ (ha ha you get it?) minerals including zinc, iron, potassium, calcium along with antioxidants and polyphenols.

How does this stack up against regular granulated sugar or high fructose corn syrup? Empty calories. You’ll find 0 nutrients in those bad boys.

It also contains a fiber called inulin, which has been shown to slow glucose absorption. This could explain why coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular schmegular table sugar.

I’m by no means advocating sugar or advising you to dump coconut palm sugar on e’rythang however I like that it’s made using a natural vs a manufactured process. I also like that it absorbs into your blood stream more slowly to give your body time to digest avoiding a sugar crash that regular sugar is known for.

The real hero in this recipe is those damn juicy antioxidant rich blueberries!

I had to stop myself several times from eating the blueberries out of the bowl and dipping my finger in the blueberry juice after I tossed the blueberries into it’s nice crumbly crust.

If there’s one fruit I could eat everyday it would be blueberries. They’re so versatile and yummy and pretty and…well you get the point, I like ‘em. I’ve put them in bread, parfaits and biscuits. Yummers 🙂

Here’s a quick rundown of the benefits of these blue little guys:

Burn belly fat – blueberries have been known to affect genes related to fat burning and storage

Increased brain function and increased memory

Prevents hypertension

Anti cancer benefits

This recipe was SO easy to make, in fact probably one of THE easiest I’ve ever made and most satisfying. I had this in the oven in about 10 minutes. This would be a great crowd pleaser if you had impromptu guests drop in.

Now when is the last time a dessert made you feel this good about yourself?!

What are your favourite ways to use blueberries?

Blueberry Crumb Bars

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 9

Ingredients

  

Crumble Topping & Crust

• 1/2 cup coconut oil liquefied or 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup white spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flower or all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Blueberry filling

• 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen - no need to thaw
• 1/3 cup coconut palm or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Line square pan with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray

Crumble Topping & Crust

• Melt coconut oil or butter in microwave in large bowl.
• Remove bowl from microwave and add the flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine until mixture is crumbly.
• Reserve 1 cup of mixture for crumble topping.
• Place remainder of mixture in pan and press into pan to create a flat packed crust. You can use your hands or a spatula.

Blueberry Filling

• Using mixing bowl from topping, add all ingredients and stir to combine.
• Spread mixture over the crust.
• Sprinkle reserved crumble topping mixture on top of filling.
• Bake for 55 minutes, or until edges are a slight golden brown and filling is set.
• If you decide to use fresh blueberries the bake time will be less by about 10-15 minutes. Let your nose be your guide.
• Remove pan from oven when done and cool on a wire rack.
• Let bars cool for about half an hour before cutting or else they'll fall apart.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23686371
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/0509/can-eating-too-much-sugar-cause-diabetes.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8814212
https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8