These strawberry and rhubarb bars also come together quickly and easily, as you don’t have to pre-cook the filling. Once assembled, you can just bake and slice! Everyone will be reaching for seconds once you serve the bars. If you want another delicious strawberry dessert recipe, then try my strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry cobbler, or strawberry rolls.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour — you don’t need anything fancy for the crust and topping, just all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour help bind everything together and gives the top portion a crumbly texture. Rolled oats — you must use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats or steel-cut oats. Quick oats will fall apart, and steel-cut oats will not give you the right texture. Cornstarch — the strawberries and rhubarb release quite a bit of juice, so the cornstarch helps absorb and thicken the filling. Strawberries — when selecting fresh strawberries, keep in mind that once picked, the ripening process of the strawberries stops. Choose fully ripe bright red strawberries to ensure they’re super sweet. Rhubarb — rhubarb can vary in color from bright red to pale green. Unlike strawberries, the colors are not indicators of their ripeness. Instead, you want to look for stalks that are firm and tender and not thick and woody. If the leaves are still on the rhubarb stalks, then discard them. Do not eat the leaves, as they are poisonous. Sugar — you’ll need granulated, brown sugar, and powdered sugar as they add sweetness and moisture. Rhubarb can be tart, so feel free to add a little extra sugar if you find yours too tart. The brown sugar adds a nice caramel flavor to the bars. If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can make your own with my DIY powdered sugar guide. Lemon — I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. It’s more bright and fresh than lemon juice from a bottle.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
- Whisk together the flour, oats, sugars, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir together the butter and vanilla extract and pour into the flour mixture. Fold the butter into the flour mixture until evenly combined but slightly crumbly.
- Press two-thirds of the mixture into an even layer in the bottom of a lined 9×13-inch baking pan. Squeeze the remaining third of the mixture in your palm, break it into small clumps, and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.
- Add the strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice and stir until the fruit is well coated in sugar.
- Spread over the bottom crust in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the top of the fruit. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Let cool completely in the baking on a wire rack. Using the parchment as handles, remove it from the pan and cut it into bars for serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
You can use fresh or frozen strawberries and rhubarb. Let the frozen strawberries and rhubarb partially thaw before using by letting them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes so you can chop them. Make sure to cut the strawberries and rhubarb into small, even pieces so you get both flavors with each bite. Allow everything to cool in the pan before removing and slicing into bars. When hot from the oven, the strawberry rhubarb layer is a bit melty. Cooling helps it firm up, so the bars stay intact when you cut them. I highly recommend using parchment paper as it makes removing the strawberry and rhubarb bars from the pan easier and cleaning up easier. Strawberry rhubarb crumble bars are very tasty on their own, but you can serve them with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream on top for an extra indulgent treat.
If you’ve tried this Strawberry Rhubarb Bars recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
