Vegan Lemony Blueberry Bars

Let me start by saying that I am no kind of baker.  Seriously!  I've ruined more desserts than I've successfully produced.  For the most part I've come to terms with the fact that I'm way better off buying my baked goods rather than actually baking them.  I've found my go-to's in the neighborhood and they suit perfectly, like these I mentioned a few weeks ago.

Nonetheless, yesterday at the market I came across some blueberries and got it in my head that I needed to make a proper summer dessert (no more of these chocolate chip cookies all the time).  I took the berries home and after dinner was cooking on the stove I found this recipe to veganize.  It seemed simple enough and her pictures made my mouth water, so I grabbed a large mixing bowl, a handful of ingredients, and got to business.

Of course I adapted the recipe to be a teensy bit healthier by trading in white sugar for organic and whole wheat flour for white.  Also I used organic berries (of course).  Here's the recipe:

1 1/4 cups of organic sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 cups organic whole wheat flour 1 cup cold unsalted Earth Balance Buttery Spread 1 eggs worth of egg replacer 1/4 teaspoon salt Zest and juice of one lemon 4 small containers of fresh blueberries 3 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Grease a 9×13 inch pan or a large oval casserole.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until top is slightly brown.  Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Try them this weekend to add a bit of sweetness to your saturday and sunday!