Description
Summery strawberry rhubarb bars have a gooey sweet-tart filling topped with a buttery oat crumble that does double duty as the crust! It’s the perfect dessert to make when fresh rhubarb is in season.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups (192g) rolled or old fashioned oats
- 2 cups (240g) All purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup (224g) Lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5g) Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup (113g) Salted butter, at room temperature, cut into ½” pieces
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Pure vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 3 cups Fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
- 3 cups Fresh rhubarb, diced
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) Fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup (24g) Cornstarch
- ¾ cup (143g) Granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a 9×13” pan with parchment paper so that it hangs slightly over the long sides of the pan and lightly grease with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda until well mixed. Add the butter and vanilla extract and mix with an electric mixer or your hands until combined and is the consistency of cookie dough.
- Set aside ⅓ (about 2 scant cups) of the crumble mixture. Press the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan, covering the bottom entirely. Bake the bottom crust for 10-12 minutes. Until just starting to brown.
- While the crust is baking, In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries and 3 tablespoons of the sugar and let sit for 5-10 minutes, drain the liquid that has collected in the bottom of the bowl. Add in the cornstarch, lemon juice and remaining sugar and gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Spread fruit mixture evenly over the top of the crust and crumble the remaining oat mixture on top, leaving some gaps in-between chunks of dough, pressing it lightly into the fruit filling.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until filling is thickened and bubbling and crumble is golden.
- Cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate for 1 hour, or until completely chilled before lifting the bars out of the pan with the excess parchment and cutting it into squares. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- Storage: Leftovers should be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve cold, room temperature or warm in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Do not freeze. These will not freeze well due to the moisture in the berries. Once thawed, they become mushy.
- Frozen rhubarb can be used in place of fresh rhubarb. It is best to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using. Increase the cornstarch by 1- 2 tablespoons to compensate for the excess liquid.
- Lining the pan: Greased parchment is the best choice for these bars as the fruit mixture becomes very sticky and jam-like.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 414
- Sugar: 30.9 g
- Sodium: 251.9 mg
- Fat: 15.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.3 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 40.7 mg