Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Squares

They always say third times a charm and it proved right when I made these Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Squares. When I first saw the recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars by Erin over at DelightfulEmade, they looked so good but I knew there had to be a way to healthy them up.

The original recipe was "almost" healthy with the blueberries and oatmeal but I can do without the white flour and butter. Whenever possible, I try to replace butter with coconut oil and white flour with either a whole wheat flour or some kind of gluten-free flour, like the coconut flour I used in this recipe.

One thing I've learned when baking with coconut flour is you need to adjust the measurement for it since it adds a drier texture than white flour. Which is why I've made this recipe three times already.

Yes, three times! I made the first batch with blackberries, the second batch with blueberries, and a combination of raspberries and blackberries in the third batch. And I have to say, I like the blackberries and the raspberries the best.

Of course I've been on a blackberry kick here lately. This batch would have been all blackberries except it seems they had a shortage the day I wanted to make this because I could not find blackberries at any store I went to that day. Luckily, they had raspberries and I had some blackberries stored in the freezer from a few weeks ago!

So the first time I made these, the oatmeal texture was too powdery. The second batch, I added a little too much coconut oil to make up for the dry texture. The third time, I added more coconut flakes and it turned out perfect. Not too dry and not too crumbly, not too oily, but just right.

Top with plain Greek yogurt for a healthy breakfast

So just like Goldilocks, it took me three times before I found the right one. Trust me, you'll be happy it did because like they say "third times a charm." Or in this case, berry charm!

Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Squares

Recipe by Julie Murphy

Healthy baked oatmeal breakfast squares with fresh summer berries.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients

• 2 and 1/4 cups Old fashioned oats
• 2 cups coconut flour
• 1 cup organic brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 and 1/2 cups coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup organic unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups raspberries, rinsed
• 2 cups blackberries, rinsed
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (to mix with berries)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat over to 350F degrees.
2. Spray 9" x 11" pan with non-stick cooking spray or rub down with coconut oil. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine together oats, flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, coconut flakes, baking soda, and sea salt.
4. Pour melted coconut oil over dry oat blend and mix together, coating all dry ingredients with melted coconut oil. Mixture will be crumbly.
5. Place about 2/3 of oat blend into prepared pan. Flattening down mixture with your hands. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, add fruit, corn starch, and 1/4 cup coconut sugar. Blend until the berries are coated with sugar and corn starch.
7. Pour berry mix over flattened oatmeal blend.
8. Sprinkle remaining oatmeal blend over top of the berries.
9. Place into preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown in color.
10. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, cut into squares. Place into refrigerator and let cool completely. This helps bottom crust set up.
11. Serve individual squares in a small bowl.
12. Best served with plain Greek yogurt.

*Helpful hints*

 

- can use fresh or frozen raspberries and blackberries. Fresh is always best, especially now that they're in season.

 

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Blackberry Curd

 

 

Ever since I made Lemon curd last week, I've been  playing with other flavors of curd. As you can see from the photo above, blackberries have been my fruit of choice for today's recipe.

 

I have been on a blackberry streak here lately because they are just now coming into season and they are so delicious this year. This year the blackberries are sweet and just look how big they are...Yum!

 

And since blackberries are filled with many little seeds, unlike lemons, I had to throw them in a food processor and puree them before placing them into a strainer, pushing the puree through the small holes, to help the puree become more smooth, leaving most of those little seeds behind. I was amazed at how easy this was and how smooth the puree became.

 

After that easy step, I cooked it up just like the lemon curd, and it came out beautifully. A sweet and smooth blackberry curd that can be used in anything from cakes and cupcakes, or put on biscuits and scones, just like a jam or jelly, but so much better. I used my blackberry curd for a cake filling and I will be sharing that recipe with you later this week.

 

 

I'm thinking if I can do this with blackberries, what other fruits can I try this with? Be sure to sign up for updates to my blog to find out what flavor curd I make next....

 

Blackberry Curd

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A delicious curd made with summer blackberries

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 7 minutes
Total time: 17 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients

• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 egg yolks, strained
• 4 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• Pinch Himalayan pink salt

Cooking Directions

1. Place blackberries into a food processor or blender and pulse until blackberries are pureed.
2. Pour pureed blackberries into a strainer. Place a small bowl underneath the strainer to catch puree.
3. Using a wooden spoon, smash blackberries through the strainer. This should make about 4-5 Tablespoons of blackberry puree.
4. Take the strained blackberry puree and place into a small saucepan with the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, and salt.
5. Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly with a wooden spoon. If mixture starts to boil, turn down heat. Also make sure to scrape sides and bottom of saucepan when stirring. Cook until mixture coats the back of the wooden spoon, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Remove pan from heat and gradually add in butter pieces, stirring well until all butter is melted. Curd should have a smooth texture.
7. Using a spatula, pour curd into a small bowl. Place plastic wrap directly over the top of the curd's surface to help prevent a skin from forming. Wrap tightly.
8. Place in refrigerator and let chill for at least 1 hour before using.
9. Transfer into an airtight container for storage. Store up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

*Helpful Hints*

- It's important to use a wooden spoon when making curd as the lemon juice sometimes reacts to metal spoons.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.