Father’s Day is just around the corner and these blueberry pie bars would be a great addition to your brunch/lunch/dessert spread! Did I mention they’re gluten free?! 

If baking isn’t your thing, I have found some other resources that you can use for Father’s Day gifts or just everyday life! I have been looking and researching into supporting more Black owned businesses and found these amazing companies with even better products. Here are some of my favorites:

• McBride Sisters– These two sisters have an amazing story of being separated and not knowing about each other for nearly half their lives. Once they found each other, they bonded over their passion for wine and are now the largest African-American wine company in the U.S.
• The Sip– Offers a subscription service for champagne and sparkling wines.
• The Black Home– has amazing and trendy tableware, candles, and design tips!
• Effortless Composition– has a variety of beautiful and eclectic home decor items for every room in your house. 
• Peace & Riot-seriously the coolest stuff. Have everything from art, decor, to games and kids toys. 

Over quarantine I have really explored the food blogger scene and found Ashlea’s instagram and blog, All the Healthy Things, and have been stalking it ever since. Stalking is a strong word but you know what I mean. Her recipes cater to different dietary restrictions and her instagram pictures are absolutely beautiful. Food photography is no joke. I have such a hard time trying to find the right gift for my dad so I usually revert to taking him out to eat but since some places are still closed down, why not try making him something delicious! 

This recipe is fairly simple, you probably have a lot of the ingredients already around your kitchen, and did I mention they taste amazingggg! The blueberry pie bars are not too sweet, they would work really well with brunch or as a dessert warmed up and topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

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Blueberry Pie Bars

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 12 bars

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1 cup almond flour
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, diced
• 3 cups blueberries
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Add the almond flour, rolled oats, dark brown sugar, and diced butter in a mixing bowl. Combine with your hands, breaking up the butter until it forms a dough like consistency. 
3. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Press ⅔ of the flour mixture into the bottom of the pan forming the crust. Bake the crust mixture for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside. 
4. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla extract over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash the blueberries and break them down. Bring the blueberry mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes while constantly stirring. The blueberries should burst and turn a dark purple color.
5. Whisk the lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl to make a slurry. Turn off the heat on the blueberry mixture and pour the slurry mixture into the blueberries. Stir until the blueberries have thickened into a jam like consistency, might take a couple of minutes. 
6. Pour the blueberry jam on top of the crust and use a spatula to spread it evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumb topping evenly over the jam.
7. Let the bars bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the jam is bubbly around the edges and the top is golden brown.
8. Let the bars cool then slice into squares. Enjoy with ice cream, whipped cream, or by themselves!

I hope you enjoy these! You can even try different fruits if you’re not a blueberry fan.

Ashley

Eats Lifestyle blueberry pie bars brunch dessert fathers day pie