These strawberry rhubarb bars combines the pie flavors of strawberries and rhubarb perfectly in an oatmeal crust. These are really easy to make, without a lot of fuss and are perfect for a potluck or barbecue. They have the flavors of spring and summer!
Every spring, I anxiously await for our local organic farm stand to open up. They grow the sweetest, reddest strawberries and I make plenty of homemade strawberry jam to get me through the year.
I had some leftover strawberries and I debated on the many ways I could use them (other than drenching them in sour cream and rolling in brown sugar…so good). Before I knew it, a day had come and gone and that’s when I think about how to bake strawberries that aren’t quite as fresh as I’d like them.
As luck would have it, I spotted fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb is either an “I love it” or “not for me” situation. With the exception of a Rhubarb Upside Coffee Cake that I’ve made– I particularly like strawberry and rhubarb as a matched pair. I think it’s because rhubarb has a unique tart flavor, while the strawberries sweetness makes a perfect pairing. Strawberry-Rhubarb pie is one of the most popular ways to pair this spring/summer fruit/vegetable combination.
Cookie bars are one of my favorite ways to make a dessert when I’m wanting to take a shortcut. My food processor makes easy work of pulsing together, butter, flour, brown sugar and quick-cooking oats.
That took minutes to just dump into a 9×13 pan that I’ve prepared with a parchment paper (foil works great, too). If you notice, I use binder clips to secure the parchment paper while baking. It works great!
I own a few versions of strawberry hullers, but my favorite “tool” is a large and sturdy straw (mine is reusable). I just impale my berry with the straw, pull it out, and voila! The berry is good to go.
In a saucepan, I added the sliced strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice and sugar* and patiently waited for the fruit to cook and release its juices.
*Cornstarch is the most common ingredient that baker’s use to thicken pies (or gravy) but I find that Instant Clearjel has been my faithful ingredient for many years. I add 2 tablespoons of that to the sugar and whisk it together. Perfect, thick filling every time!
The oatmeal/flour crust is pressed into my prepared pan and so it’s time to add my fruit filling.
An off-set spatula helps to spread it evenly. Into the oven, it goes to bake until golden brown– and then cooled.
As for the glaze– I didn’t do a fancy drizzle. I was in a shortcut mood, so I added the glaze with a spoon. I also added a little almond extract, because it’s one of my favorite flavors. Done!
Speaking of shortcuts, I use this large pizza slicing blade and absolutely love it! It makes slicing bar cookies a breeze. I got 30 cookies out of this batch.
TASTING NOTE: These remind me of the strawberry-rhubarb crisps that I like to bake. Since we’re empty nesters, I sent most of these off to my husband’s office. They are really good! The crust is buttery, and the oats are baked to a toasty flavor. I could easily make the crust, and fill it with any kind of fruit jam and be happy with this recipe. These are perfect for a potluck or to bring to a summer barbecue. My husband told me that his coworkers sent kudos for them, and that they enjoyed them. That’s good enough for me.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb or frozen unsweetened ;cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Drizzle
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ tsp almond extract optional
Instructions
For the filling:
- Combine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in 2-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally,8-12 minutes or until fruit is tender.
- Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat. Set aside.
For the crust:
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Combine all crust ingredients in bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 13×9-inch baking pan. NOTE: I use a parchment (or foil) sling for easy removal. Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
Glaze
- Combine all drizzle ingredients in bowl. Drizzle over cooled bars. Cut into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
They look really good Debbie. it still amazes me that strawberries and rhubarb go so well together and I have to wonder who decided to even try them in the first place.