Blueberry Breakfast Bars

I made these today for the bakery.... one of these days I need to make them for our family!!!  :)  I use a modified version of Farmgirl Fare’s Blueberry Breakfast Bars.  But I use all freshly ground whole wheat flour, rapadura instead of brown sugar and I cut the amount of rapadura/sugar in half.

Bottom Layer

2 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 cup whole wheat (I use hard white)

1/3 cup rapadura (you can use brown sugar)

1/4 teas. baking soda

1/4 teas. salt  (I use RealSalt)

1 stick of butter, melted

1 teas. pure vanilla extract

Top Layer

1 cup hard white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup rapadura

1/2 cup butter

Middle Layer

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 teas. pure almond extract

1/3 cup rapadura

3 Tbsp. hard white wheat flour

1/2 teas. nutmeg

Putting it all together

For the bottom layer:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place parchment paper on jelly roll pan (or 9 x 13).  In a large bowl combine the oats, flour, rapadura, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.  Press mixture evenly into bottom of pan.

For the top layer:

Place the flour, rapadura and butter in a small bowl and use a pastry blender (or a fork) to combine and crumble the mixture.  Set aside.

For the middle layer:

Place the blueberries in the bowl you mixed the bottom layer in and then toss them with the almond extract.  Pour them evenly over the bottom layer in the pan.  Combine the rapadura and flour and sprinkle it evenly over the blueberries.  

Sprinkle the top layer evenly over the blueberry mixture.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are starting to brown.  Let cool in pan on wire rack.  Store bars in cool place or refrigerate.  They are also wonderful frozen.  

Makes about 16 large bars.