Red White & Blueberry Crumb Bars

These patriotic treats are a great way to keep your Fourth of July celebrations full of nutritious options! Though s’mores, cookies, popsicles, and other junk foods are typical Independence Day choices (and it’s not wrong to enjoy a treat or two!), these berry bars give you a dessert choice that is guilt-free! Plus, they’re easy to make, and can even be prepped up to a week ahead of time!

Ingredients

-Berry Filling
2 cups strawberries, sliced
2 Tbsp granulated sweetener of choice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp chia seeds
½ tsp lemon juice

-Oat Bars
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup natural almond butter
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ tsp salt

-Topping
1/3 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Instructions

-Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 9”x5” loaf pan with aluminum foil, keeping some above the rim to use as handles to lift out the bars.

For the berry filling, in a medium sized bowl, add the strawberries, sweetener, cornstarch, chia seeds, and lemon juice. Toss the berries around until the cornstarch is no longer visible and the berries start to release some juice. Set aside.

For the oat bars, in a large bowl, add the oats, almond butter, coconut, maple syrup, and salt. Stir until well combined and the mixture stick together if you press some together between your hands.
Reserve ¾ a cup of the oat bar mixture.

With the remaining amount of the oat bar mixture, firmly press it into the prepared loaf pan using your hands or the bottom of a flat cup. Evenly spread the berry mixture on top of the oat bar mixture (including the liquid that gets released). Crumble the reserved ¾ cup of oat bar mixture on top of the berry filling. Add the blueberries on top. Lightly press the top of the bars down so that everything sticks together.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 – 22 min. or until the top is firm to the touch.

Allow the bars to cool almost completely in the pan (about 30 min). Then remove from the pan using the aluminum foil overhand as handles, and allow the bars to cool completely before cutting (you can put them in the fridge to speed this step up, if you’d like).

Slice them up into squares and enjoy!