It’s healthy dessert time again … or breakfast, or snack. Doesn’t matter as long as it’s a little sweet and is healthy. This dessert is the perfect combination of both – just sweet enough and healthy. It is also an Elimination Diet recipe, which I am still trying hard to follow. Diet and dessert don’t always go together so when you’re trying to stay on the plan or stick as close to it as possible you have to continue to be creative. Making healthy desserts isn’t easy, and making them so you want to actually eat them is even harder. These little bars? Oh I ate them! Hope you get to enjoy these super easy vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free Blueberry Crumb Bars soon!

When trying to stay on any diet, desserts are a must. Even if you don’t necessarily feel that you are needing one, just having that “guilty” something in the fridge or cupboards just makes you feel good. Like okay, I’ve got this diet down pat. I’ve got control. But then you suddenly have a stress-moment or something happens and instead of going out and buying out the grocery store chocolate aisle, that dessert you have on hand gets eaten. A dessert that doesn’t have anything extra in it. A dessert full of fruit. A guilty enough dessert that you feel satiated. And yes – I’m a mood eater. It’s okay, I admit it freely. Which is why I know that I am more successful when I have something on hand to eat that I won’t feel overly guilty about.

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This turned out to be an easier dessert to make than I thought it would. The bottom will get soft, so once it’s cooled cut and serve immediately or if you’re like me and want leftovers to enjoy, just put in a container with a lid and pop in the fridge. Fork needed but so worth it! Start by mixing the dough ingredients then set aside about 3/4 cup dough and press the rest into an oval parchment lined baking dish. Mix the blueberries with maple syrup and tapioca flour – mash some of the berries with the spoon to get some juices flowing. Pour onto dough and spread out then crumble the rest of the dough over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool about an hour in the dish then pull and slice. It is not too sweet, but oh so good – enjoy!

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Blueberry Crumb Bars,

Dough
1 1/2 C Oats
3/4 C Almond Meals
1/4 C Unsweetened Applesauce
1/3 C Melted Coconut Oil
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Allspice
1 Tsp Baking Powder

Filling
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
5 Tsp Tapioca Flour
18 Oz Cntr Blueberries

1. Set oven to 375 degrees. Line an oval baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Dump all the dough ingredients, with the oil and applesauce last, into a medium-size bowl and combine until crumbly.
3. Take out about 3/4 cup of the dough and set aside.
4. Dump remaining dough into the baking dish and press flat and evenly with the back of a spoon.
5. In the same bowl dump the blueberries, maple syrup, and tapioca flour. Gently mix until everything is coated. Mash a little to release some juices.
6. Pour over the dough, spreading evenly.
7. Crumble the rest of the dough over the blueberries.
8. Bake 30 minutes.
9. Let cool completely, about one hour then take the parchment with the dessert out of the pan and set on cutting board.
10. Slice into small squares.
11. Enjoy!