Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Okay, I think I'm going to be done with baking for a while, but I just had to make this last one!

Ice cream is the perfect addition to this recipe :)

I didn't so much taste the lemon, so if you're really looking forward to a lemony blueberry flavor, I'd add more than the recipe calls for.

Filling :

• 3 C fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 t lemon zest
• 1/2 C sugar

Crumble/Crust :

• 1 1/2 C all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 C old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t lemon zest
• 3/4 C butter, softened and cubed
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t vanilla extract

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter the parchment (I didn't use the parchment paper. Instead I used a non-stick pan, butter it, and it worked perfectly fine).
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook blueberries, lemon juice and lemon zest until fruit is tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Stir into fruit mixture and continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until thick. Scrape berry filling into a medium bowl and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a food processor (or just using a mixer) fitted with the metal blade, pulse together flour, oats, brown sugar, lemon zest, butter, baking soda, salt and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended and resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Reserve 1 1/2 C of the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hands to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan.
6. Spread the blueberry filling evenly on top of the crust. Sprinkle the reserved 1 1/2 C crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pan half way through.
8. The recipe suggests to cool completely before serving, but I served them while they were still warm. Either way works.

Enjoy!