Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Things have been a little quiet around here lately....my little guy was dealing with a random fever for over a week. So needless to say, I had very little time to do any cooking or baking since he was attached to me. He's doing better now and we're not sure what caused the fever, just some random virus. It's been quite frustrating, he would be fine for most of the day and then after his nap, his temperature would spike to 103 or high....so scary!

I did manage to bake up a batch of these breakfast bars. Madeline was off swimming with some of her friends from the neighborhood and I figured they could use a snack after being outside most of the day. These were quick and easy to make. The girls gobbled them up and of course Madeline wanted seconds! I love that they featured whole wheat flour and oats plus fresh blueberries! They would be great for breakfast but I loved that they were great for an after school snack!

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
10 oz jar of blueberry preserves

Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Cut in the cubed butter until coarse crumbs form with the dry mixture and butter. Remove 1 1/2 cups to another bowl and set aside.

In the remaining mixture, combine the egg white until mixture is wet. Gently fold in the blueberries. Evenly pat this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until the crust has set.

Spread the jarred blueberry preserves over the baked crust. Sprinkle the reserved flour/butter mixture over the preserves. Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Lift out the bars using the parchment paper and place on a wire cooling rack. Cool completely and then slice into the desired sized bars.

Source: Parents Magazine, September 2013