When I was growing up, my mom was always making cobblers for dessert that included all kinds of butter and sugar. We loved the desserts, but now, knowing that these things are not good for me, I developed a healthier version—and then made them easier to eat by making them into bars.

Makes 10 servings.

INGREDIENTS: CRUST/CRUMBLE:

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree 1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1⁄4 cup whole-wheat flour
11⁄2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon lemon zest

BLUEBERRY FILLING:

11⁄2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries 2 tablespoons date paste
11⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottom

of an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper.

2. To make the crust/crumble, combine the pumpkin puree, applesauce, flour, oats, and lemon zest in a bowl and mix well. Spread a little more than half of the mixture in the bottom of the baking dish and smooth out.

3. For the blueberry filling, combine all ingredients and mix well. Spread the filling on top of the bottom crust mixture in the pan.

4. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top of the blueberries, making sure that you don’t have large clumps of crumble.

5. Bake for about 25 minutes until the top becomes golden brown. Let cool, then cut and serve.