What do you do with a huge bag of leftover frozen blueberries and have a potluck in mind? Get to baking! I wanted to make something that was sweet but not too sweet, show off my baking skills to my coworkers, and that just you know … tasted good and turned out right! It’s been awhile since baking something other than cookies actually turned out! Well these vegan and gluten-free Wild Blueberry Streusel Bars sure did turn out good!

Ahem, a little too good. Because they didn’t make it into work! But they sure made awesome breakfasts and desserts! Who needs to share when something actually turns out right? Not this girl – I revel in that homemade good-for-you baked goodness. Which happened to be this month’s The Recipe Redux theme – better for you homemade desserts. Pretty much taking an amazing and unhealthy dessert, and making it healthy – or as healthy as a baked good can be. Because let’s face it, when you have flour/oats/sugar in a dish, it’s just full of calories. But when you use less sugar and let the natural sweetness from the frozen and thawed fruit come out and be the actual flavor, then you have won the sweet war!

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Start by defrosting the blueberries in a cup – you do want the juice, it just makes everything better. Then mix the crust/topping ingredients in a bowl and then press 3/4s of the mixture into the base of a small non-stick sprayed baking dish. Mix the sugar and arrowroot powder in a small bowl then dump in the defrosted blueberries and their juice and mix really well. Pour the blueberries over the streusel base then use your fingers to evenly spread the topping. Bake for about 30 minutes then let cool completely. I let mine sit in the fridge a few hours to harden up even more. It may be a little crumbly, but no worries – it’s still amazing! I topped mine with So Delicious vanilla yogurt for breakfast, then non-fat So Delicious whipped topping for dessert … both are amazing on these bars, trust me!

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Wild Blueberry Streusel Bars,

1 1/2 C Oats
3/4 C Almond Meal
1/4 C Softened Coconut Oil
1/3 C Applesauce
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Coconut Sugar
2 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Powder

Filling
1/4 C Coconut Sugar
2 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
4 C Wyman’s of Maine Frozen Wild Blueberries, defrosted

1. Set oven to 375 degrees and spray a small baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Dump blueberries into a small bowl and defrost in the microwave.
3. Combine all the streusel ingredients in a medium-size bowl until fully combined.
4. Dump 3/4s of the mixture into the baking dish then press out and flat to cover the bottom of the dish.
5. In a small bowl mix the arrowroot powder and coconut sugar then dump in the defrosted blueberries and juice and mix well.
6. Pour blueberry mixture over the streusel base and spread out evenly.
7. Use your fingers to spread the remaining streusel over the blueberries.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes then take out.
9. Let cool completely – I let mine cool then put in the fridge to let harden even more.
10. Cut into small squares and enjoy!