“Blueberries for Sal” first came on my radar almost 20 years ago. My mom had just started homeschooling me and my younger brothers, and for the boys she started using a reading curriculum called Five in a Row. With this program, you read the same picture book each day for five days, followed by activities that are relevant to the story. At the start of the next school week you, start a new book. I was too old for it, but I remember my brothers really enjoying particular stories, especially “How to Make Apple Pie and See the World,” “The Story About Ping,” and “Blueberries for Sal.”
When I started light homschooling with my toddler earlier this year, the preschool edition of Five in a Row was the only curriculum I purchased (we do more subjects, they’re just not curriculum-based). I’m a big believer in focusing on building enthusiasm for learning in the very early years of education, and I like that Five in a Row adopts this philosophy.
When I saw that “Blueberries for Sal” was on our Five in a Row book list, I thought it would be fun to make a recipe for it, since my son is a bit young for some of the suggested activities in the handbook. I wanted something sugar-free for sure. Normally I’m all about dessert, but after 4 months of writing posts about cookies, marshmallows, and ice cream cakes for my Hans Christian Andersen series, I’m sugared out. I wanted something wholesome and healthy with fresh berries, nuts, and just a tiny bit of sweetness.
These blueberry oatmeal bars are basically oatmeal cups in a different shape. I got a financier mold from my father-in-law recently, and I found that baking the mix into bars rather than cups produced a more even bake and maximized my favorite part: the caramelized exterior. Plus, they’re filled with all kinds of simple, healthy goodness: berries, bananas, toasted almonds, fresh ginger, and just a hint of honey. I like to imagine Sal’s mom making a batch of these when she and Sal got home from their afternoon of berry picking.
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Blueberry Oatmeal Bars from “Blueberries for Sal”
“Sal picked three berries and dropped them in her little tin pail…kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! She picked three more berries and ate them. Then she picked more berries and dropped one in the pail—kuplunk! And the rest she ate. Then little Sal ate all four blueberries out of her pail.”
— Blueberries for Sal
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 medium banana, very brown
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger (or 1/8 tsp ground ginger)
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup toasted almonds (To toast, spread on baking sheet and place in 325° oven for 3-5 minutes)
Makes 12 blueberry oatmeal bars
INSTRUCTIONS:
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- Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a financier mold with cooking spray and set aside (if you don’t have a financier mold, you can use a cupcake tin. Just be aware that they may need to bake a few minutes longer). In a small bowl, stir together the oats, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana with a fork and whisk in the honey. Whisk in the milk, egg, almond extract, and ginger. Whisk in the dry mix, blueberries, and almonds.
- Add 2 spoonfuls of mix to each mold. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and centers are set. Allow to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before gently removing to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve to your favorite kiddo to keep them from eating all the blueberries you’re saving for canning!
Store tightly covered at room temp or freeze in a sealed container. If freezing, thaw in the fridge before eating.
Check out my other blueberry recipes! 🙂
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