Healthy Blueberry Crisp Bars

It’s summer time and these thick, chunky, blueberry crisp bars, are the best way to celebrate! They make the perfect healthy treat to bring to the cookout, BBQ, or picnic. These bars are made with all natural ingredients like fresh blueberries, chia seeds, and oats so you can indulge in summer’s sweetest treat while feeling good!

Ingredients to Make Blueberry Oat Crisp Bars

rolled oats

oat flour

coconut sugar

coconut oil

nut butter

vanilla

blueberries

chia seeds

Homemade Blueberry Jam

Let’s talk about what’s in the middle - the blueberry chia seed jam. It’s thick and juicy and made with four wholesome ingredients! If you’ve never tried chia seed jam, it is quite literally my jam (corny but I had to).

Chia seeds are tiny seeds that are packed with all kinds of nutritional benefits (omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein). But, they also soak up liquid like a sponge so they are fun to play with in the kitchen! For the jam, you’ll heat up some blueberries in a skillet, mash them up when they become soft, and add a touch of coconut sugar and vanilla. Then stir in the chia seeds and let them do the rest. The result - the thickest, sweetest, juiciest, all-natural jam you’ll ever need.

How to Level up Oat Bars

These bars are super crispy with clusters of oats on top for a little added bonus. If you want to be even more extra (don't we all?) drizzle some melted coconut butter on top and you’ll be sporting some bakery-style goods!

Coconut Butter Drizzle

Coconut butter can be tricky. Out of the jar, it's quite thick and not super spreadable. There are a few key tricks to melt coconut butter that I swear by:

• Do not microwave. I know you'll try it just to see how it turns out anyways but trust me, it won't work well. Coconut butter needs indirect heat to melt so I recommend heating it up slowly over the stove.
• Low heat. Make sure your stove is on a low heat. You can turn it up to a medium-low to expedite things but I wouldn't go any higher.
• Double boiler method. Like chocolate, coconut butter loves indirect heat. I create my own "double boiler" when melting both chocolate and coconut butter. To do this, heat a little water in a pot on the stove over low to medium-low heat. Place a skillet on top with your coconut butter. The indirect heat from the water simmering below will melt the coconut butter without the risk of it burning.
• Add a little coconut oil. Depending on the type of coconut butter you use, you may find that adding a small spoonful of coconut oil will help the coconut butter melt and become runny (perfect for drizzling!).

How to Make the Perfect Oat Crust

The crust for these bars is simple to make with no fuss. The key is to mix the wet ingredients in with the dry really well to form clumps of dough. I prefer to use regular old fashion rolled oats (not the thick rolled oats) as they are easier to mold. You also want a nut butter that has a good bit of oil to it. Try to find the kind that has naturally occurring oil separation. Simply give it a big stir before adding it to the mixing bowl. Here are the steps I use to prepare the prefect oat crust:

• Whisk together the dry ingredients. This is the rolled oats, oat flour, and coconut sugar. You want to disburse the rolled oats throughout so that there aren't big pockets of dry oats that are hard to mold together
• Stir in the melted coconut oil, nut butter, and vanilla with a rubber spatula. When I say "stir" I really mean press the wet ingredients into the dry. Sometimes it's best to use your hands. This may take a minute or two but you should have big clumps of dough at the end
• Reserve a cup of the dough to sprinkle on top (the best part). Use the remaining dough and press it into a lined baking pan, making sure to get some in the corners. After to add the blueberry jam, sprinkle the reserved dough liberally on top. When baked, the clumps should turn a soft golden brown and will firm up as it cools

Check out more fruity treats below!

• Cherry Cheesecake Hand Pies
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Strawberry Fig Newtons

Healthy Blueberry Crisp Bars

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• Author: Ansley Beutler
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 16 Bars 1x

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Description

These blueberry bars are delicious, nutritious, and give off some serious summer-time vibes.  With blueberry chia seed jam in the middle of two layers of crispy crust and drizzled with warm melted coconut butter, everyone is going to want one!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For Filling

• 3 cups blueberries
• 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds

For the crust

• 2 cups oats
• 1 ½ cup oat flour*
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Coconut Butter Drizzle (optional)

• ¼ cup coconut butter

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Instructions

For the Blueberry Jam

1. In a skillet, heat the blueberries over low heat. Once they begin to soften (~5 mins), mash them up with the back of a spatula, add in the coconut sugar and vanilla, and stir.  Turn off the heat and mix in the chia seeds, stirring continuously until it thickens up
2. Pour the jam into a bowl and set aside to cool while you prepare the crust

For the crust

1. Whisk together the rolled oats, oat flour, and coconut sugar
2. Stir in the melted coconut oil, nut butter, and vanilla and press the mixture together until clumps of dough form.  Reserve 1 cup of dough to crumble on top
3. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper and press the dough into the bottom of the dish
4. Spread blueberry jam onto top of the crust.  Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of dough on top
5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the top starts to brown a little (it will be subtle); cool for 20 minutes

For the Coconut Butter Drizzle

1. Heat the coconut butter in a double boiler (or use a make-shift one**) until it is thin
2. Drizzle over top of cooled oat bars; cut into squares and enjoy!

Notes

*Note : You can make your own oat flour at home by mixing 1 ½ cups of oats in a food processor until it achieves a fine consistency

**Note : Heat a little water in a pot on the stove over low to medium-low heat. Place a skillet on top with your coconut butter. Stir the coconut butter until it thins out.  Add tsp coconut oil if needed to help it thin

• Category: Bars
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Bar
• Calories: 198
• Fat: 11
• Carbohydrates: 20
• Protein: 5

Keywords: Oat Bars, Blueberry Crisp Bars, Healthy Oatmeal Bars, Gluten-free Crisp Bars, Vegan Blueberry Bars

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