The great thing about these rhubarb crumb bars is their thin layer of jam-like texture, made from a homemade rhubarb sauce. The top and bottom of the bar are an oat mixture that has a delicious texture without too much sweetness. When all three layers are eaten in one bit, it's a dessert made in heaven!
12tbsp (1 ½ sticks)unsalted butterroom temperature
Instructions
For the rhubarb filling
Clean and dice rhubarb into ¼-inch pieces.
Add rhubarb, water, and sugar to a three-quart kettle. Scrape seeds from a vanilla bean and add to the mixture along with the bean.
Cook over medium-high heat, bringing to a simmer and stirring constantly to prevent sticking or burning, about 6-10 minutes. The rhubarb will soften and the water will evaporate, leaving a thick, jam-like filling.
Remove from the heat and let cool.
To assemble
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line an 8x8 baking dish with an aluminum foil sling. Spray with nonstick spray and set aside.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, rolled oats, brown sugar, and cinnamonn until incorporated.
Add the softened butter in pieces and incorporate it into the dry mixture using fingers (you can use a pastry cutter but fingers work very well). Mix until no large pieces of butter remain and the mixture becomes like wet sand in texture.
Lightly press 2 cups of the dry mixture into the bottom of a prepared pan. Spoon over the cooled jam mixture and spread evenly. Evenly coat top with remaining crumb mixture. Make some large crumb chunks by pressing together crumb in hand (my favorite).
Place in preheated oven and bake until edges just start to bubble and crumb turns lightly brown, about 30-35 minutes.
Cool at least 2 hours before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 254kcal
QR code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.