I breathed a large sigh of relief when I finished off the "on their way to being bad" strawberries by baking them into a cake. Whew. I'm done baking for a bit, I thought. The next day, my husband walked in with a pound of rhubarb from a friend. Naturally, I went out and bought more strawberries because I always think about strawberries when I see rhubarb. I think that rhubarb is pretty tart/sour, so the sweetness of strawberries pairs nicely with it.
This is my favorite crumb bars recipe, and it's easily adaptable with whatever type of fruit you have on hand (Is rhubarb a fruit? I'm thinking it's a veggie.). Anyway, instead of using all strawberries in these bars like I usually do, I replaced half the amount with rhubarb. The almond in the dough really adds that extra punch that these need, and the bonus is you can have these in the oven in a few minutes. People will think you slaved all day in your kitchen. Usually I halve this recipe and make it in a 9x9 dish, but I had a lot of rhubarb to get through, and I still have more to use in the freezer. I'm thinking muffins next.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars Recipe
Makes a 9x13 pan
Print this recipe
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups strawberries, cut into pieces
2 cups rhubarb, cut into pieces
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the shortening and mix with a pastry cutter, fork, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the eggs and almond extract. Press 2/3 of the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.
In another bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Stir together. Add in the strawberries and rhubarb and gently stir until coated. Spoon these over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the strawberries/rhubarb.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.
Note: You can use frozen strawberries and/or rhubarb for this recipe, but do not thaw before using.
Source: Barely adapted from Taste of Home
This is my favorite crumb bars recipe, and it's easily adaptable with whatever type of fruit you have on hand (Is rhubarb a fruit? I'm thinking it's a veggie.). Anyway, instead of using all strawberries in these bars like I usually do, I replaced half the amount with rhubarb. The almond in the dough really adds that extra punch that these need, and the bonus is you can have these in the oven in a few minutes. People will think you slaved all day in your kitchen. Usually I halve this recipe and make it in a 9x9 dish, but I had a lot of rhubarb to get through, and I still have more to use in the freezer. I'm thinking muffins next.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars Recipe
Makes a 9x13 pan
Print this recipe
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups strawberries, cut into pieces
2 cups rhubarb, cut into pieces
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the shortening and mix with a pastry cutter, fork, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the eggs and almond extract. Press 2/3 of the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.
In another bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Stir together. Add in the strawberries and rhubarb and gently stir until coated. Spoon these over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the strawberries/rhubarb.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.
Note: You can use frozen strawberries and/or rhubarb for this recipe, but do not thaw before using.
Source: Barely adapted from Taste of Home
