Week 2 Dish 1: Vegan blackberry crumble bars

I've made it to WEEK 2!!! WOOP!!! And what better way to celebrate than with a deliciously sweet, fruity and crumbly treat?! The inspiration for this recipe was the wild blackberry bush in my back garden, which (thanks to the gorgeous summer we've had this year) has been heaving with sweet blackberries for the past couple of weeks. I couldn't let all that go to waste now could I? So I braved the thorns (I have the battle wounds to prove it) and managed to pick enough to make double the recipe and some to eat- a treat for my family as well as the people I'm on firms with at the moment (lucky you!).

For any of you who want to make this recipe, now is the time: just go to your local park with a container and keep your eyes out for berries that are ripe for the picking - who needs to buy them? A tip if you have never picked blackberries before, the ones that are ripe and sweet will be slightly mushy and will come away easily from the bush. If you have to tug too hard, chances are they will be sour.

Makes 8-10 bars
Ingredients
3 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
juice of half an orange
1.5 tbsp cornflour (aka constarch if you're american)
2 cups oats
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed (I bought this from VB, too expensive in health food shops)
Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with grease proof paper.
2. In a saucepan heat the berries, granulated sugar, orange juice, and cornflour. Bring to the boil, stirring often until mixture is thick and the berries break down (about 15-20 minutes).
3. Mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, orange zest, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Pour in the coconut oil and mix to blend well. Reserve 3/4 cup of oat mixture for the topping.
4. Transfer the remaining oat mixture to the prepared baking dish, pressing firmly to the bottom to form an even layer.
5. Spoon the berry filling in an even layer on top and then sprinkle with the remaining oat mixture.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the dish on a wire rack for 30 to 40 minutes before cutting into bars.

Original recipe: Blackberry crumble bars