Blueberry Streusel-Topped Squares

Baking these fruity bars got me excited the way baking is supposed to—a few relatively easy steps left me with a fresh-tasting, melt-in-your-mouth cookie that looks gorgeous on the plate (though you may not be able to tell this from my sorry photography skills). And that vegan butter I was talking about last week? I’m officially a huge fan. I used it in these cookies and they came out rich and, well—for lack of a better word—buttery, like shortbread is supposed to taste. All it takes is whipping up a single type of dough for the top and bottom layers and cooking up a fruit filling while the crust cooks. Easy as pie. I mean, uh, cookie bars.
The Recipe
For the Crust and Streusel
1 c. plus 5 tbsp. vegan butter substitute, melted and cooled until just warm
¾ c. evaporated cane juice
¾ tsp. salt
2 egg yolks
2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. plus 3 tbsp. almond meal
¼ c. brown sugar

For the Fruit Filling
One 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tbsp. agave nectar

Make the Crust
1. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine butter, ¾ c. cane juice, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks. Stir in flours to make stiff dough.
3. Transfer about 2 cups of dough to baking pan, pressing it evenly onto the bottom. Prick it all over with a fork and pop it in the freezer for 5 to 7 minutes to firm it up.
4. Bake until crust begins to set (without browning on the edges), around 20 minutes. While the crust bakes, prepare the streusel topping and blueberry filling.

Whip Up the Streusel
1. With your hands, combine the brown sugar with the reserved dough, until crumbly.
2. Set aside.

Create the Berry Filling
1. In a saucepan, bring the berries, agave nectar, and ¼ c. water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium high and continue to boil until reduced to a thick syrup, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. It will continue to thicken, so stir occasionally.

Put it All Together
1. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the berry mixture over the hot crust.
3. Scatter the streusel over the berries, taking care to not crumble it too much. (Doing so will leave you with a sandy-textured topping. We want shortbread-like chunks.)
4. Bake the bars until the streusel is golden, about 25 minutes.
5. Let cool until completely firm, at least one hour (if you can resist for that long). Cut into squares.

Use What You’ve Got
- Flours: Don’t have any almond meal? Just use flour in its place.
- Berries: Any fresh or frozen berry would work. If it’s a more tart one, like cranberry, you may need to balance it out with a little extra agave or sugar.