I have to admit, I was never crazy about oatmeal as a kid. I remember the school cafeteria serving up what looked like bowls of mush, and thinking "Oatmeal is definitely not my style". It also seemed like every oatmeal cookie I encountered was chocked full of sneaky raisins. You may have fooled me in the past by masquerading as delicious chocolate chips, but never again, raisins...never again! Little did young Ashley know, you can find oats in many different forms. Eventually, I started to test the oatsy waters and so these magical Blueberry Pecan Oatmeal Bars were born.

If you’re looking for a baked treat to satisfy your sweet tooth without causing a serious sugar crash, you’re gonna want to try these Blueberry Pecan Oatmeal Bars! These guys have so many tasty elements…hearty oats, toasty pecans, blueberries (fresh or frozen), and shredded coconut. *I know coconut isn’t for everyone, so you can absolutely leave it out of the recipe.

The recipe is pretty simple to throw together. Start by taking a stick of unsalted butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Once your butter is nice and soft, combine it with your brown sugar in a stand mixer, like this ice blue beauty. *You may have to stop the mixer a few times and spoon out the butter that gets caught in the mixer attachment. Once they've had a chance to fully combine, you can add your vanilla and egg.  

In a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients. Slowly add the combined dry ingredients into the mixer. You’ll want to add the dry ingredients in phases. I'd say, add about a third of the dry stuff, mix for a few seconds, add some more, mix again....you get the idea! Then, you can add your oats and pecans. Lastly, throw in your blueberries. All you need is a quick mix after you add the blueberries, so you don't pulverize them! 

To save yourself some aggravation and elbow grease, you’ll want to line your 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper. This way, you can easily pull the bars and paper out of the pan once they've cooled down. Pour the mixture into the lined pan and using a spoon, spread from end to end. This is where I like to add some more pecans and unsweetened, shredded coconut on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Once, they're done, let them cool down, then cut into roughly 16 squares. Enjoy!

Thanks for Chewsing!