After my group had our mini vacation and enjoyed having January off, it's now time again for my Secret Recipe Club reveal! 😀 So excited, as usual, and really missed doing this as I so much enjoy being a part of this very special club!

I was pretty much dog tired and cooked-out after the holidays, so I let my hubby have full reign over what to choose to make. I was quite surprised when he chose this recipe, not because it didn't look incredibly delicious, but after all of the holiday goodies we bulldozed through, I didn't think he'd choose something sweet. Me and my insatiable sweet tooth had no problem with it at all. 😉

 

 

This month I was assigned to an absolutely incredible blogger who has a massive array of eclectic international dishes; as well as simple, farmhouse-style dishes, such as the one my hubby chose, her Blueberry Coconut Bars! Happy to introduce you to Camilla, (Hello Camilla! 😀 ), who has made herself quite a comfy, cozy and plentiful nest at her blog called, "Culinary Adventures with Camilla"!  I'm so jealous, seriously!, of all of the amazing farmer's markets that she is so very lucky to have in sunny California to gather her heart's desire to create all of these wonderful dishes that she makes. I could not even imagine being able to just walk down the street and pick through unbruised and battered, freshly grown produce on a daily basis if I wanted to. Not only that, but all of the exotic produce available is simply beyond imaginable.

Camilla is a fearless, free-spirit who embraces life and all it has to offer like a butterfly in sunshine! Grabbing life by the tail, saying Here I Am!, and pursuing everything from SCUBA Dive Master to designing her own jewelry, from florist to waitress, cookbook reviewer for publishers, fitness teacher, writer, editor, freelance photographer, and even traveled to Rome to learn how to cook many ethnic dishes by "pestering" the local fishmongers and farmers! A true master of her own life!! Wow, eh?!! 😀 

She has quite amazing little helpers, too! 😉 Her two sons, the apples of her eye and heart I'm sure, are quite the budding cooks and bakers! They are sure to be famous chefs some day! I have no doubt! After all, they have quite an amazing teacher! 😉 And her dear sweet husband helps out by doing the dishes, (and I'm sure is quite a helpful sous chef by her side as well!) You simply must  check out her blog to see what all they have created and accomplished. It's truly amazing! 😀

Though I agreed to what my hubby chose, I did really try to push him into other directions and showed him several of her other recipes that I was quite intrigued to try such as her Bulgogi-Spiced Burger with El Diablo Mango Mustard Kimchi , her famous Magical Chicken B'stilla , and her Pheasant in Creme that would actually make for quite a lovely and romantic Valentine's Day dinner! 😉 

But since I already had a bag of blueberries in the freezer, I stuck to what made sense and made her bars as my hubby all but begged for. They looked divine, so I was anxious to make them right away! 😀 

I did mix up the crumb part in a separate bowl, though, after having visions of me stirring and splashing half of it on the counter, walls, ceiling....and anything else within 10 feet.   

 

 

Next was to press the base into the bottom of the pan and reserve some for the top. I saved back a whole, lightly packed cup instead of just a half a cup, and this worked out perfect for me. 

 

 

I don't know why, who knows.... , but I had a half of a lemon and a half of an orange in the fridge...?? So I just used that instead of a whole lemon and it tasted fantastic! So either will work, or a combo of both like I had to do.  

I also used frozen blueberries, and didn't thaw them so that they'd hold up better when baked. 😉 I melted the butter instead, and drizzled and tossed it in knowing that it would re-harden when it hit the frozen berries and mix in evenly. That also worked like a charm! 😉 

 

 

I was afraid that there wasn't really quite enough blueberries. I was wrong. 😉 

 

 

Saving back a whole, packed cup for the top worked out really well for me!

 

 

All done, hot out of the oven, and smelling heavenly!!!!!

 

 

And I'm so very happy to say that we enjoyed these immensely! After letting them cool completely and then chill to cut nicely, I warmed our servings slightly in the microwave and served them with vanilla bean ice cream! What a wonderful and delightful treat! I will be making these many times over experimenting with different fruits! Now I can hardly wait until summer! 

 

 

Thank you so very much, Camilla, for sharing this delicious recipe! You not only made our day, but the neighbors were grateful and very much enjoyed them, too! 😉 😀 

And that's it friends for this month's Secret Recipe Club recipe! Be sure to not only check out this recipe and try it soon! - - but please do take the time to check out Camilla's fantastic blog for many more of her cookbook-worthy recipes! 😀 

Until next time, ~Kelly

 

 

 *This recipe for Blueberry-Coconut Crumble Bars was adapted from the blog,  Adventures with Camilla.

 

Yield: 12 servings

Blueberry Coconut Crumble Bars | The Secret Recipe Club

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

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4.7 Stars (3 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup flour + 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 Tbl. sugar, I used homemade vanilla sugar
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. Kosher salt or fleur de sel

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• 3 cups fresh blueberries, (*or a 12 oz. bag frozen, unthawed)
• zest from 1 lemon
• juice from 1 lemon
• 2 Tbl. ground almonds
• vanilla bean ice cream, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Place the oats, 1 cup flour, coconut, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt, in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Melt butter and pour into baking dish. Use a fork to blend together until clumps form. *Reserve 1 cup (lightly packed) of the mixture, and press the remaining mixture into the pan evenly, forming a base crust. (You can also do this in a separate bowl, then add to pan.)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the fresh blueberries, 1 Tbl. softened butter, 1 Tbl. granulated sugar, 2 Tbl. flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice. (If using frozen berries, you can melt the butter and drizzle it in evenly, tossing to mix and coat.)

Spoon the blueberry mixture over the crust and level to cover. Sprinkle the reserved topping and ground almonds over the berries evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the blueberries are softened and the sauce is bubbling around the edges and center gently.

Cool completely. Slice into squares.

Serve warmed with vanilla bean ice cream if desired.

Notes

*I used half lemon and half orange for this recipe due to what I had on hand, and it was wonderful!! So either fruit, or a combination of both, will work just fine.