Summer Fruit Cobbler Bars

Alright, I know.  Summer is officially over.  Sad.  The other day, I got to go shopping with one of my sisters and seeing darling summer clothes on clearance and knowing they would not be appropriate until next year made me feel a little bummed.  But, we have plenty of good things to be looking forward to as well!  For those days that you might feel a little nostalgic, here's a recipe that captures the flavors of all the delicious flavors of summer.  Use frozen fruit and it will still be like a lovely little vacation.  Otherwise, look in the notes for variations on the filling to find some ideas that are more seasonal.  No matter how you fill it, I will always be up for something sandwiched between the soft, brown sugar-oatmeal crust!



Summer Fruit Cobbler Bars
Crust:
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup flour (can use whole wheat)
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
    (1-2 T. water, if needed)

Combine all ingredients, stir to form stiff dough.  Pat half of mixture (reserve the other half for crumbling on top of the filling) into an 8x8” baking pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  While crust is baking, prepare filling.

Filling:
1 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)
2 cups sliced peaches (about 2 large or 3 small--fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup raspberries or strawberries (frozen are fine)
3 T. granulated tapioca
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook until thickened and tapioca is soft-ish and fruit is almost tender (about 10 minutes).  Pour over crust.  Crumble remaining crust mixture over top.  Bake additional 20 minutes at 350 degrees until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

note: can be modified with different fillings i.e. Sliced apples, cinnamon and sugar to taste and the tapioca prepared according to above directions, commercially prepared cherry pie filling is easy (just pour on and top) and reminds me of ones my Grandma Lois used to make...also delicious, date filling (combine 3 cups chopped pitted dates and 1 1/2 cups water--no need for thickener!--in a saucepan and cook over low heat stirring continually until thickened, about 10 minutes)
Additionally, if you don't have tapioca, you can use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, just stir it into the water and then combine with the rest of the filling ingredients.