Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

I don’t know about you but I am ready for summer and with summer comes the summer baking with my favorite berries and fruits. I love these strawberry rhubarb bars from the cookbook, One Bowl Baking.

These bars are of course meant for dessert, but I have been known to pretend they are appropriate for breakfast. They do have berries and oats, so why not start the day off right?! Oh, and did I mention you make the whole recipe in your baking pan so it literally could not be faster or easier to clean up?

You can eat them warm with a scoop of ice cream or cold for breakfast with a dollop of plain yogurt.

Yield: 16 small bars, as shown, or 8 large ones; recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch baking pan, where they will come out a little thicker

Ingredients

• 1 cup (80 grams) rolled oats
• 3/4 cup (95 grams) plus up to 2 tablespoons (15 grams) extra all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (95 grams) light brown sugar
• Heaped 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional, but helps firm up the filling)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup (125 grams) small-diced rhubarb (from about 1 1/2 medium stalks)
• 1 cup (155 grams) small-diced strawberries
• Powdered sugar, for decoration, if desired

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. For easy removal, line bottom and two sides of 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. No need to bother (and no greasing needed) if you plan to serve them right in the pan, as I did.
2. Place oats, 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar and salt in the bottom of baking pan and mix.
3. Pour melted butter over, and stir until clumps form. If the clumps feel soft or look overly damp, add the remaining 2 tablespoons flour.
4. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture. Press the rest of the crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.
5. Spread half the fruit over the crust.
6. Sprinkle it evenly with cornstarch, then lemon juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
7. Spread remaining fruit over this, and top with second 1/2 tablespoon sugar.
8. Scatter reserved crumbs over fruit.
9. Bake bars for 30 to 40 minutes (firmer fruits will take longer), until fruit is bubbly and crisp portion is golden and smells toasty and amazing.
10. Let cool in pan; It is best in the fridge, where they become crisp once chilled (less so at room temperature). Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.

You can make these oat bars with any fruit that is in season; the original recipe calls for thinly sliced apples and adds cinnamon to the crumb mixture.

Enjoy!