cranmatazz.

Last week I made these bars as Christmas cookies. (With the tricolor scheme, I guess they would work for Independence Day too.) Holiday or no, I'll be making them often! Coconut flour gives the crust a nice texture and lemon juice adds a bright snap to the filling. No sugar explosion, plenty of fruit. Like brownies and lemon bars, they also freeze well, so you can make a lot and then have them ready for company in a pinch.

I love how these look on a cookie platter, with gorgeous jewel toned fruit scattered among golden crumbs. If I had a functioning camera, I'd take a picture, but I guess you will just have to make them yourself!

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Blue Cranberry Bars
(a more colorful version of this SK recipe)

2 1/2 cups oat flour*
1/4 cup coconut flour**
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided***
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, cut into 16 cubes
1 large egg
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
4 teaspoons arrowroot starch
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.
2) Combine oat and coconut flours, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add cubed butter and egg. Cut into dry ingredients with pastry blender or two knives, until mixture forms a crumbly dough.
3) In separate bowl toss together remaining 1/3 cup sugar, berries, and arrowroot. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
4) Press about 2/3 of the dough mixture into prepared pan, making sure that bottom of pan is completely covered. Pour in berry mixture and spread evenly across crust. Crumble remaining dough across top.
5) Bake for 45-50 minutes, until center is set and top is just golden brown. Remove to wire rack and cool completely, then refrigerate for several hours before cutting into bars.
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*Just grind rolled oats as fine as you can in your food processor or blender.
**If you don't have coconut flour, use 1/2 cup additional oat flour instead.
***Yes, you read that right: ye olde devil white sugar. I decided that for me, it is not worthwhile to search out and pay for "healthier" sweeteners like sucanat or palm sugar. Any trace minerals they may have don't outweigh the fact that they are. still. sugar. I prefer to spend money on olive oil and grassfed beef.

(Besides, using white sugar reminds me that I really shouldn't be eating much dessert. I can't fool myself anymore by saying "but it's unrefined!" haha)