Blueberry crumb bars

I usually try to vary the types of sweets I feature, but summer berries are beginning to roll in, so surely you’ll excuse me for posting these blueberry bars right after my quick blackberry cobbler. (You should also expect more berry-centric treats in the coming weeks!) This recipe is from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s book The Joy of Vegan Baking, and though it’s billed as a sort of coffee cake, I found mine to be much more bar-like in height and texture. The base resembles a cakey shortbread, while the crumb topping is a loose streusel. I made them on a Friday night, and they were all devoured by Saturday morning.

For the bars:
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
3 Tbsp warm water
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 soy or almond milk
1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup Earth Balance, COLD, cut up

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and the warm water until thick and creamy, about 1 minute, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 or 2 minutes.



Add the egg replacer mixture and vanilla to the margarine-sugar mixture, and beat until incorporated.



Add the flour mixture and milk and beat until just combined (batter will be thick). Spread the batter into the bottom of the pan, smoothing the top. Evenly arrange the blueberries on top of the batter.



To make the topping, in a large bowl (it can be the same one you used before, just scrape it out well), combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon.



Cut in the margarine with a pastry blender or a fork until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the blueberries.



Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.



What’s better than sweet bursts of blueberries peppered across a palette of buttery, crumbly cake? Not much, I say.



Yield: 16 servings. Per serving: 152 calories, 7.1g fat (4g sat), 21.4g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.3g protein.

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Homestyle blueberry cobbler
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