Blueberry Lemon Bars

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These easy blueberry lemon bars are a refreshing treat you are going to love. Simple to prep with a buttery lemon oat layer that is pressed into the bottom and then topped with a lemon blueberry layer with the remaining oat layer crumbled over top for a perfect berry citrus treat. Less than 15 minutes to prep, freezer friendly and since they have fruit and oats, they can be breakfast or dessert, right?!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time43

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

BLUEBERRY LEMON LAYER

2 ½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen
¼ - ⅓ cup sugar more if super tart berries
juice of half a lemon
2 tsp lemon zest approx. 1½ Tbsp
2 tsp cornstarch

OAT LAYERS

1 ½ cup quick oats
1 ½ cup flour
1 cup light brown sugar loosely packed
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, berries and corn starch and mix to combine. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, sea salt, and baking powder and whisk together.
Add in melted butter, lemon zest and vanilla and stir to combine. Mixture will be somewhat crumbly.
Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and press ⅔ of the oat mixture firmly into the pan (its roughly 2-2 ½ cups mixture). Add the berry mixture on top to cover evenly and spread into as even of a layer as you can.
Sprinkle over the rest of the oat mixture to cover the berries and gently press into the berries.
Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until berries are bubbling and oats on the top are golden brown.
Allow to cool completely before cutting—best to refrigerate to set for easier eating if wanting handheld. If wanting to eat with spoon or fork, can eat warm, just too messy to make handheld if so.

Notes

Storage: Bars will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week in an airtight container. Allow them to sit out for about 15 minutes before serving to allow them to come to room temperature or warm them up in the microwave.

To Freeze: Allow the bars to cool completely. Slice them and wrap individually or place in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Adjust the berry sweetness as desired. If your berries are a bit tart, you may want to adjust the amount of sugar. If it's peak berry season and they are nice and sweet, you may want to half the amount of sugar. Up to you!

For easier and cleaner cut bars, refrigerate these blueberry lemon oat bars for several hours before cutting. This makes for much less of a mess! Run the knife under hot water before slicing and then wipe clean between each cut and rinse again.

If you aren't planning to eat them as bars, no need to refrigerate to set. These can be eaten with a fork for sure and if you are not concerned about them holding together well, then for sure, dig in whenever you are ready!

Nutrition