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It’s blueberry season! Give me all the blueberries because they remind me of the best days of summer: long lazy afternoons spent eating still warm from the sun berries, my fingers stained with the most delicious juice.

My mom has 8 little blueberry bushes in her backyard and every summer (if we’re in town), she gives a bunch of berries. They’re super sweet and jumbo sized. And, as she loves telling me: completely organic. I think it’s so cute how my mom has a little garden and is so proud of what she grows. When she was little, she always had to help my grandma in the garden – she hated it back then – she always tells me stories about how poor they were and how growing vegetables to sell at the market was torturous on an empty stomach.

Now, we all have plenty to eat and my mom loves her garden. It amazes me so much to think of what my parents (and Mike’s) have accomplished. Mike and I always talk about how crazy and difficult it would be to immigrate to a completely foreign country. And in a time without internet so you couldn’t exactly google things like: how do I enroll my kids in kindergarten or where to buy Asian groceries. I’m so proud of our parents and all the hard work they’ve done so that we’re all where we are today. They’re my heroes.

I didn’t get these blueberries from my mom – hers weren’t ripe yet, but there were lots and lots of berries at the farmer’s market and I have the tendency to over buy berries. When that happens, I make all the blueberry things: pancakes, muffins, galettes, blueberry bread, crisp, blueberry ginger ale, pavlovas, and now these oat bars.

Do you love oat bars? I admit, I’ve definitely bought one or two (or twenty) Starbucks blueberry oat bars. Buttery crumble, juicy berries, and a thick and oat-y base? Yes please! These guys are slightly reminiscent of the Starbucks bars but with some extra nutty, extra delicious browned butter thrown into the mix. I like how the base of these bars and the topping is the same. All you do is mix everything up in bowl, and press the oat mixture into a pan, top with berries, and then sprinkle on the remaining oats. Super simple and super tasty. I went with a half batch, conveniently made in a loaf pan because I love small batch baked goods – the more small batch, the more opportunity for baking, and the more variety! I cut the square up extra small too so they were literally 1 bite oat bars. Perfect for sneaking a bite here and there. I like keeping them in the fridge, especially in the summer for a nice cold bite.

Hope you’re summering hard :)

Small Batch Browned Butter Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars Recipe

Browned butter blueberry oatmeal crumble bars are bursting with all the goodness of sweet summertime blueberries, nutty browned butter, and heart healthy oats.

Serves 8 squares

4.67 from 3 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper so there’s an overhang over the sides.
• In a bowl, toss the blueberries with lime juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside.
• Brown the butter in a saucepan, swirling, until butter foams and starts to turn brown and smells nutty. Don’t let it get too brown, just golden with some brown flecks. Remove from the pan and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, sugar, and salt. Pour in the browned butter and stir until clumps form. Use your hands to press together and make sure everything is slightly moist. The dough will be crumbly. 
  
• Take half of the crumble mixture and press evenly into the base of your pan. Spoon the berries evenly over the crust, leaving any juices behind and crumble the remaining dough on top.
  
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is slightly brown and the fruit is bubbly. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares.
  

Notes

slightly adapted from wellplated.com