Blueberry Pecan Bars

Austin John Edwards (rather unnecessary, but I love saying his full name) and I have been dating for a little more than 3 and a half years -- ever since Valentine's Day, sophomore year of college, in front of the Washington Monument. He is my best friend, and besides God, family, FDR, and Breaking Bad -- his favorite thing in the world is anything with blueberries. Since they're in season and quite bountiful this year, I decided to try my hand at this incredible looking recipe I found while perusing without abandon on Pinterest (the devil for people who know they have no time to waste; comparable to putting an alcoholic in a bar, or a female 20-something in a Target... yikes.)

I've admired Tracey's Culinary Adventures from a distance for a while now (translation: I follow her on Instagram.) When I saw the pin for her "Blueberry-Oat Bars," I nearly couldn't contain myself -- I just had to try. Plus, I knew that once I had one or two, Austin would show up, eat them all and I wouldn't have to worry about the looming expansion of my thighs. I'm actually glad -- as these bars were delicious and I would've ate them all without supervision!!! Here's the recipe, tweaked a little -- as I added toasted pecans (they bring a fantastic nutty crunch,) as well as made my own blueberry preserves from scratch instead of buying some in a jar. To differentiate my words from Tracey's, so you guys know, I made sure my comments were in bold. Enjoy!

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (4 3/4 oz) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup blueberry preserves (my recipe below)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (you'll need 1 more cup for the preserves)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup chopped pecans  

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to use as "handles" to lift the bars out afterward. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low speed just to combine. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and then, with the mixer on low, add 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) of the butter, one piece at a time (no need to let one fully incorporate before adding the next). When you've finished adding the butter, continue mixing on low speed until the butter has been broken down into small pieces and the mixture resembles wet sand - this will take about 1 minute.

Transfer 1 1/4 cups of this crust mixture to another bowl and set aside. Dump the remaining crust mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crust turn golden brown and it is set. 

Meanwhile, make the streusel topping: Add the oats and brown sugar to the bowl with the reserved crust mixture. Stir to combine. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter to the bowl and use your fingers (or a pastry cutter) to work the butter into the dry ingredients until combined. 

Make the filling by combining the blueberry preserves, fresh blueberries, pecans (toast for more flavor -- easy -- just put on a pan, and bake in oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees,) and lemon juice in a bowl. Use a fork to mash the blueberries - you want to break them down some, but still leave some visible pieces of berries. 

When you remove the crust from the oven, add the filling directly on top of the hot crust. Spread in an even layer (it will be a very thin layer). Sprinkle the streusel topping over the filling - I like to pick up a small handful and squeeze it together to form a large clump, then break off smaller chunks to sprinkle on top. Don't press the streusel into the filling!

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the filling bubbling and the streusel has browned. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the bars cool to room temperature, about 1-2 hours. Use the foil handles to lift the bars from the pan and cut into squares for serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Natalie's Homemade Blueberry "Preserves:"
since you won't be preserving any of these bars! :)
Boil 1 cup water in a small pot on the stove. Add 1 cup fresh blueberries to the boiling water and after a minute, turn down heat to low and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir a little, then and let it simmer for 25 minutes until the blueberries get mushy and the water level reduces and is a deep blue/red. Mash the blueberries with a fork and let it simmer. After 5 more minutes, add a tablespoon of flour and stir slowly, until the blueberry mixture gets thick. Turn off heat and let cool.
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This is my very first "unhealthy" post -- posts I promised I'd include on Table Haven as a reflection of my balanced life (being healthy 100% of the time is not what's up -- 80 is cool.) I just try to be healthy when I can, and this includes making my own blueberry preserves instead of buying a sugar-laden one. Hey, you gotta pick your battles!

I'm glad I made these bars, because I honestly cannot describe to you how delicious these were. Tracey says on her blog that you could even use frozen blueberries that you thawed -- but nothing in my opinion lines up with fresh summer blueberries in season, vibrant in color & nutrients. This recipe makes about 16 bars (depending on how small/large you cut them.) Not to mention -- they slice neatly and look incredibly impressive -- perfect for end-of-summer cookouts. Do I hear Labor Day? Might have to make another batch -- as there are none left in my apartment, and Austin is happily reading a court transcript right now with a plate at his side, completely empty except for a conspicuous bunch of crumbs. Mission accomplished.

xoxo n