True Blue

I have been a baking monster the past couple of days. Yesterday was cookie day and today I made a wonderful apple cake and a blueberry crumb bars. Today, we will talk about the latter and we will come back to the former another day (I feel like I should throw some biochemistry in with all these latters and formers...).

Blueberries are one of my favorite foods, not only because of its flavor but also because of its health benefits. They are super rich in antioxidants like anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, and vitamin A. They are also high in zinc and iron which can boost your immune system and prevent infections. But that's not all. They also help to preserve vision and prevent heart disease. They do much more and you can read about it here. Those cute little blue spheres are pretty amazing.

With all of those health benefits, they are perfect for an integrative bake sale treat. I found a great recipe for a blueberry crumb bars that is so incredibly easy. To be honest, it has quite a bit of butter in the crust, so it's really not the healthiest treat. But in my opinion, everything in moderation, plus you're getting those super benefits from these bars being loaded with blueberries.

Rather than fresh blueberries, which can cost an arm and a leg, I bought a bag of frozen blueberries. I got about a 6 cup bag for approximately $4. Last night I took them out of the freezer and let them defrost in the fridge. And voila, today I had perfect blueberries ready for baking. I imagine you could use almost any kind of fruit in this crumb bar, just make sure it gets nice and gooey so it will congeal and hold together. You could also mix additional fruit with the blueberries. I think it would be great to throw some tart cherries, or cranberries, or even chopped strawberries or mango. Get creative, that's why baking and cooking are fun.

By the way, JC rated these little guys a perfect 10. Delicious.

These delicious little bars will make their debut appearance at the Integrative Medicine Club Bake Sale tomorrow (Friday) from 1:30-3 PM. Come visit me at my table under the homecoming student showcase tent and taste some delicious homemade goodies.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
adapted from gimme some oven

• 1 cup sugar (plus extra 1/3 cup for blueberries)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• zest from one lemon
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, baking powder, flour, salt, and  lemon zest. Use a food processor or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, egg and vanilla.  (Or if you don’t have these appliances, you can always just use your hands) Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together 1/3 c. sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.