Wild Blueberry & Orange Bars

We did some traveling up the Seacoast into Maine over the weekend. 

It was just as gorgeous as I had hoped it would be. New Hampshire only has 18 miles of Seacoast but there’s still plenty of beach, shopping, and restaurants to take in. People swarm to it every sunny weekend. In fact, we estimated that there were probably easily over 150,000 people in the Hampton Beach area on Saturday.

This is a smaller beach area up from Hampton Beach on Saturday…85 degrees.

The same beach on Sunday…..66 degrees and drizzling.

This feast was only $35 dollars in Hampton Beach and that’s including my very tasty margarita…or two.

The parts of the Seacoast of Maine we were able to take in on a short weekend were breathtaking. Upscale, gorgeous, and just like how you see it in all of the magazines featuring New England.

All the quaint little sea towns. Amazing. I caught myself thinking more than once, “where have you been all my life?”. 

We’re getting used to the interesting weather changes in New England. Sunny and warm on Saturday, cloudy and chilly on Sunday.

Perfect for looking at lighthouses.

These oysters on the half in Maine were $21 and very small. Flavorful though.

We were surrounded by people eating HUGE fish and chips and fried clams, oysters, and shrimp. Being allergic to gluten probably saved me a good 3,000 calories. But ohhh…the fried food looked so good.

The dogs never have a difficult time meeting new friends. These folks were vacationing from Quebec. They loved the dogs and missed their own. Lots of fun stories and chatting with friendly people.

This little girl and her brother were also vacationing from Quebec. They taught the dogs a new jumping trick while the adults chatted. What perfect dog sitters they would be! We were sad they live so far away.

First time in the Atlantic! It’s clear and beautiful. The sand felt wonderful.

This is a neat tea and coffee shop in Kennebunk, Maine. I can’t wait to go back to Kennebunk in the Fall with my mom and meander through the shops and restaurants.

We ran across an organic farmer’s market and I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out on “Maine’s Famous Blue Fruit”. The wild blueberry. We bought two pints and now I’m kicking myself for not buying as much as we could to freeze for the winter. Did you know Maine produces 98% of America’s wild blueberries – the most in the world.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

You know I had to make something delicious with them!

The crust on these bars is like a chewy candy bar and the middle is soft and slightly custard like. The orange glaze over the top…tart and sweet and marries perfectly with the coconut and blueberries. Enjoy!

Wild Blueberry & Orange Bars

For the crust:

1 1/2 Cups Mama’s All Purpose Almond Flour

1 Cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Solid Coconut Oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse all of the crust ingredients in a food processor until combined. 

Press mixture into the bottom and 1/3 up the sides of a well oiled 9×13 inch pan. 

For the filling:

1 Cup Mama’s All Purpose Almond Flour

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

3/4 Cup Earth Balance Soy Free Non-Dairy Butter Spread

3 Eggs

1 1/2 Tablespoons Freshly Grated Orange Zest

1/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

1 1/2 Cup Wild Maine Blueberries

In an electric mixer, beat the flour, sugar, salt, xanthan gum, and butter until combined. Add the orange zest and orange juice. With the mixer on medium, add the eggs one at a time until combined. Scrape down bowl and mix on medium for two minutes until light and fluffy, similar to cake batter. Fold in the blueberries. Pour batter over crust.

Bake for 40-50 minutes (I use convection) covering with foil after the first 25 minutes. Bars are done when top is golden and middle is set but still a tiny bit jiggly. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before frosting with glaze.

For the glaze:

1 Tablespoon DF Butter, melted

Zest of 1 Orange

Juice of 1 Orange

About 1 (overflowing) Cup of Powdered Sugar

Stir well to thoroughly combine. Spoon over bars and spread carefully. Allow bars to cool completely before cutting.