Easy Rhubarb Crumb Bars are a tart rhubarb compote baked up in a buttery shortbread crumb crust ~ it’s the ultimate spring rhubarb dessert!
I don’t think you could possibly imagine how I agonized over what to do with my little bag of rhubarb from the farmer’s market this week. The thing about rhubarb is that it has a wonderful tangy flavor, different from any other fruit (possibly because it’s actually a veg) and a drop dead gorgeous color that makes me crazy.
But it’s not just me, rhubarb inspires passion in a lot of people. It’s is a true harbinger of spring, being one of the first crops to be harvested as the weather warms. You’ll see hot house crops come first to market, followed by the regular harvest soon after.
love rhubarb recipes like I do?
- Rhubarb Bread
- Old Fashioned Rhubarb Crunch
- Rhubarb Crumble Tart
- Easy Rhubarb Cake
- Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Jelly
- Perfect Rhubarb Muffins
ingredients notes for rhubarb crumb bars
- rhubarb – fresh or frozen rhubarb will work for this recipe.
- The color of your jam will vary depending on the depth of color of your rhubarb stalks, Some are green or pale pink. I always choose the deepest red stalks I can find for best color, no matter what I’m making.
- granulated sugar and brown sugar combine for the perfect flavor
- cardamom adds a lovely unexpected warm and floral flavor note to these bars, but you can substitute cinnamon if you prefer, or leave the spice out altogether.
a simple crumb bar makes the perfect dessert
I love love love love love these bars. I know I make a lot of this type of thing on the blog and I tried to resist, I really did. You might have made my Blackberry Pecan Bars or my Fresh Cranberry Bars already. But here’s the thing ~ every bar is uniquely delicious, and deserves its moment in the spotlight!
These rhubarb crumb bars were so good I had to break my only taste one serving of whatever I’m photographing rule. I had two. Before lunch.
what do these rhubarb bars taste like?
These rhubarb crumb bars are a little lighter than my regular shortbread crumble bars. The rosy pink filling is flavored with vanilla, and it’s basically a quick rhubarb jam. If you haven’t had rhubarb before, the flavor is like a tart raspberry. The simple dough is spiced with cardamom which adds a really nice layer of flavor.
storing and freezing rhubarb crumb bars
These are best the day they’re made. Fruit has a tendency to release extra moisture into baked goods as they sit (read: they can get soggy over time.) If you do need to save them overnight I would leave them on the counter, loosely covered with foil so air can get to them. And yes, they will freeze well.
I just made these and they are divine, thanks for the easy recipe 🙂 ~Meaghan
Rhubarb Crumb Bars
Equipment
- 9×12 baking pan
Ingredients
rhubarb filling
- 1 lb rhubarb
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
for the crust
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cardamom, you can substitute cinnamon
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter, cut in pieces, (this is 1 1/2 sticks)
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Rinse and trim the ends off the rhubarb stalks. Slice them in 1 inch pieces and put in a heavy pot. Toss with the sugar, lemon juice, and water. Stirring constantly, bring the mix to a boil and cook until the rhubarb has broken down and the mixture is thick. Add a little more water if needed as it cooks if it gets too thick. This will take about 20 minutes or so. You can puree it if you want a smooth texture, I used an immersion blender and pulsed a few times to get any larger lumps, but some texture is fine. Stir in the vanilla and set aside to cool.
- To make the crust, put the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the butter and pulse until the mix has a texture of coarse crumbs.
- Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and press the rest into a buttered 9×13 baking pan. Pat down the crust and level it out.
- Spread the filling evenly over the crust, and then crumble the remaining dough over the filling.
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden.
- Cool before cutting.
Nutrition
Thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe and linking up to the Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round Up. I have long been a fan of your blog and it was a bit of a thrill for me to see your recipe on the linky. I’m sure you will get lots of inspiration from all the recipes that are building in this Rhubarb-fest!
I’m off to the farmer’s market to get some more rhubarb today because of all that inspiration, Janice — thanks so much for stopping by!
🙂
Just made these bars, omg they are fantastic. I can see that I will become addicted to making them with all kinds of different fruits and spices. Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know Janice, and I agree, part of the fun of this kind of dessert is changing it out and experimenting.
Sue, I come to to your site by way of Trish and have a question…Can the rhubarb “jam” be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a few days before making the rest of the bar? It doesn’t look like any of the ingredients would spoil or taste differently, but I thought I would ask! Thanks.
Absolutely, Crystal, that would be fine!
Thanks for the advice!
I just made these and they are divine, thanks for the easy recipe 🙂
You are the crumb or crumble queen in my book. The color is amazing and I’m sure it was totally worth the extra taste, before lunch, even before breakfast! You always write the most interesting posts – very nice!
I can never resist rhubarb either, so I totally understand. Just seeing the stalks at the store make me giddy, let alone EATING THEM. What gorgeous bars! I can’t get enough of that pretty-in-pink filling!
I cannot wait to get my hands on some rhubarb! These crumb bars look fantastic!
truly they are breathtaking. I mean the color is perfect- spot on and i love the texture with the crumb topping and crust!
I love to see the different shades of pink that different recipes get from rhubarb. For this one I picked out the reddest stalks I could find, but other times I’m not so lucky to find deeply colored stalks and the color is very pale. I love it all!
Mmmmm…so jealous that you have rhubarb available. I’ve actually only eaten rhubarb a handful of times and it was divine each time! I’m going to be on the lookout around here…
Thanks Sarah, I’m a relative newcomer to it, too. It looks pretty easy to grow, I may try sometime. How nice would it be to walk out the door and snip what you need on the spur of the moment.
I get bunches of rhubarb from a coworker (or, at least I will once winter decides to exit South Dakota!), and I know these bars would be much appreciated!
I could eat crumb bars everyday of my life. These look heavenly!
Me too, they are the breakfast of champions 🙂