Strawberry-Rhubarb-Oatmeal-Bars

Another a-ha moment at the grocery store, I was looking for puff pastry and found rhubarb.  I use to love my grandmother’s strawberry/rhubarb pie and when I looked,  it wasn’t in her recipe box.  So I bought the bag of frozen rhubarb and threw it into the freezer.  Now that I’m back from vacation it’s time to think up new treats.  So I grabbed the bag and stared at it for a while.

Time to hit the pantry for some more inspiration.  I pulled out oats because for some reason it made sense to pair oats with rhubarb.  Then I had bought some beautiful strawberries so they needed to make an appearance as well.  So I thought about a bar type treat and this is what I came up with.

Strawberry-Rhubarb-Oatmeal Bars!

For The Streusel

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For The Cake

• 1 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup strawberries cut in halves
• 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make streusel by combining all ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar and 1/4 cup flour.  set aside.
3. Cream butter with icing sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder and salt.
5. In prepared pan, pour batter and level with off-set spatula.
6. Cover with rhubarb and strawberries and then cover all with streusel.
7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
8. Let cool completely before removing from pan (10”x10”)
9. Slice and enjoy!

This is such a light treat.  Maybe not in calories but meh!  Using the icing sugar instead of granulated in the cake gives the bar a sweeter base and the rhubarb’s tartness balances it all out!  This would be a great finish to a lighter dinner or just paired with a big ol’ mug of tea!  That’s what I did!

So the next time you are in the freezer section looking for puff pastry, grab a bag of frozen rhubarb for an alternative to the standard fruit desserts.

Thanks for looking!