Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

A couple weeks ago, I shared a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb pie. You can find that recipe here! Well, I couldn't get enough of that pie and I had some left over rhubarb... so I began to search Pinterest for other things to do with the strawberry-rhubarb blend and I found these bars on Cooking Classy. These bars are much less time consuming to make than the pie, but I don't like these as much as I like the pie. Don't get me wrong these are delicious, but if I had to choose between a piece of pie and a bar, I would choose pie any day!

Start by mixing together 1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Next, mix in 1 1/3 cup of old fashion rolled oats, 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of softened unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

 Line a 9x9 inch baking dish with parchment paper (this keeps whatever I'm baking from sticking to the pan and it makes cleanup easier) and press 2/3 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.

Set aside 1/3 of the crumble, and start on the filling.

Cut up 1 3/4 cup of hulled strawberries and thinly slice 1 1/2 cups of rhubarb. (I used frozen strawberries, so they were pre-cut for me) Mix the strawberry and rhubarb together in a medium mixing bowl... I used the same mixing bowl that I mixed my crumble in.

Stir 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the strawberry rhubarb mixture.

Once the filling is prepared, pour it over the pressed bottom layer in the baking dish and use a spoon to make sure it's evenly distributed. Use the remaining 1/3 cup of crumble to sprinkle over the top of the filling, cover the filling as much as you can.

Bake the bars at 350°F degrees for 45-50 minutes, until the crumble on top is golden brown.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB BARS:

Ingredients:

for the crumble...
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for the filling...
1 3/4 cup hulled & sliced strawberries (of pre-cut frozen strawberries)
1 1/2 cup thinly sliced rhubarb
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined. Stir in oats, brown & white sugar, softened butter and vanilla. Once this mixture is well mixed, set aside 1/3 of the mixture in a small bowl. Leave the remaining 2/3 in the medium mixing bowl, as you prepare the baking dish.
2. Line a 9x9" baking dish with parchment paper or butter it. Press 2/3 of the prepared crumble into the bottom of the baking dish and set it aside (you could put it in the fridge).
3. Slice the strawberries and rhubarb and mix them together in a medium mixing bowl (I use the same one throughout this whole recipe).
4. Stir in white sugar and cornstarch to the strawberry/rhubarb mixture, make sure the strawberries and rhubarb are well coated.
5. Pour the strawberry/rhubarb filling over the pressed bottom layer in the baking dish. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure the filling is evenly distributed.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the crumble over the top of the filling being careful to cover as much of the filling as possible.
7. Bake the bars at 350°F degrees for 45-50 minutes, until the crumble on top is golden brown.

Happy Monday!
Kenzie