Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

So it's been a little while since I've posted, but I assure you that despite the hectic schedule I have made sure to continue baking/cooking.  One of the things that I had hoped to do was make enough new recipes that I'd eventually have a little bit of a backlog to work from for posting, but I realized that in order to do that I'd have to stop posting for a while.  Unfortunately my usual day-to-day doesn't allow me the luxury to post soon after making something, so this is the best approach for me.

Anyway, on to the main event for today.  I was grocery shopping back in March and as I was walking through the produce section, I found a package of rhubarb.  Now if you know anything about me, you know that my childhood was not very adventurous as far as new foods and ingredients (though not for lack of trying on my mother's part).  When I saw the rhubarb, I thought, "so THAT'S what it looks like!"  Without even thinking I picked up a package and figured I would find something to make. 

I knew that strawberry was a popular combo for rhubarb so I made sure to pick up a pint while I was shopping that day.  The first thing I did when I got home (okay, a few days later) was search on Beantown Baker's site and I found these bars.  When I was prepping for these I did stress quite a bit over the pan size/type.  I had a pan that I thought was what I should use (essentially a large baking sheet) but it turned out it was not the best option.  I should have used a giant jelly roll pan I have (I'll have to go back and check the sizing if anyone is interested in knowing -- hey, maybe I'll see if anyone is actually reading this thing!).  The bottom crust pressed fine into the baking sheet, but when I poured in the filling I knew it was going to overflow.  So I placed the baking sheet on/in the giant jelly roll pan, put everything in the oven, and crossed my fingers.

This was much braver than I usually am when baking; I didn't freak out nearly as much as I expected since I pretty much knew the pan size wasn't right.  I mostly hate to waste ingredients, but I figured it'd be hard not to get anything out of this, and I'm glad I kept going with it.  Even though the batter DID overflow off the sides, the bars that cooked inside the baking sheet were fantastic!  There was tart and sweet from the strawberry/rhubarb combo, but the crust and topping made for a great pastry flavor.  We ate these over the course of a week, warming in the microwave for a few seconds and topping with Cool Whip.  I took some in to work and I still have people asking about them; unfortunately rhubarb is no longer in season.  Next year!


Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
originally from Beantown Baker
makes ~ 20 bars

Crust & Topping 
1 cup butter/margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups AP Flour
1.5 cups quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup chopped nuts (I omitted these)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling 
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup AP Flour
2 tbsp milk
4 eggs
4 cups sliced strawberries (I had about 3 cups, I think)
4 cups sliced rhubarb 

Heat oven to 375.

Make the crust first.  In a medium bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with a spoon.  Stir in flour, oats, nuts, baking soda, and salt until crumbly.  (Per Beantown Baker's notes, I also ended up adding about 1 cup more of flour from the indicated list.  I didn't reflect that in my ingredients because it may vary from person to person.  Also, I used my pastry blender for this part instead of my hands -- it worked fabulously!)

Reserve 2 cups of crumbly mixture, and press the remaining amount into an ungreased 15x10x1 pan.  (I actually had a tape measure and was measuring my pan, and while it pretty much matched this, I definitely needed to go with a pan that was deeper than 1".) 

Now make the filling.  In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, milk, and eggs until smooth.  Fold in strawberries and rhubarb.  Spoon filling into the crust and top with reserved crumbly mixture.

Bake 40-50 minutes until topping is golden brown and filling is set.  Cool slightly, about 30 minutes.  Cut into bars (4 rows by 5) and serve with whipped cream.  Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

This is what rhubarb looks like.  Who knew?!

About 1/2" or so in from the edge of the crust is where the baking pan ended. Luckily I put the jelly roll pan underneath so I didn't make a mess of my oven.