Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

What do you do when you need a last minute dessert for a spontaneous dinner party?  Well, if it’s July, you sprint out to your garden and strip every ripe blueberry off your bushes, whip up your favorite oatmeal cookie dough, spread it in a pan, top it with berries, and pat yourself on the back while it bakes.  And, if your dinner party happens to include your favorite nutritionist/personal trainer/gym owner friend, you make sure to modify that oatmeal cookie recipe, oh, just a tad . . . less sugar, some whole wheat flour, just enough of a tweak so that you can look your friend in the eye.  Oh, and cut the bars small.  I missed that part.  Oops.

Because I was in a rush, I have no “in progress” pictures of this one.  I barely managed to snap the picture of the final version, literally as I was plating them and heading back to serve them.  It’s a basic bar cookie, no fancy technique or sneaky ingredients, so we’ll just leave the write-up unadorned as well.  But let me just say–YUM.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars (adapted from Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookies)

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup blueberries
  

Preheat oven to 375.  Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil; spray the foil with baking spray.  In a medium mixer bowl, cream butter and sugars together, add the egg and almond extract.  In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.  Stir in the oats.  Spread the dough into the prepared pan, reserving approximately 1 cup.  Top the batter in the pan with the blueberries (or any fruit you like).  Drop the reserved batter over the blueberries in small pieces, scattering randomly.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until set and golden brown.  Cool slightly before removing from pan and cutting.