Are you taking advantage of this rhubarb season? I hope you are, I know I am, more so than ever, as I’ve missed living in a country where people use, let alone have heard of, rhubarb.

I don’t know about you, but when rhubarb season starts I usually think of pies as the first thing to make. Then, after a few rhubarb and rhubarb custard pies, I might want to make some ahem…I’m not sure what normal people call it, maybe rhubarb soup? I grew up calling it camel hair soup. (We’re so normal you can’t stand it.) After camel hair soup, then maybe some rhubarb hand pies made with puff pastry.

All of those things are delicious, but sometimes with rhubarb season being so short I don’t end up getting beyond the “classics.” This year I’ve been expanding my horizons a bit, and if you’d like to go beyond the rhubarb pies and crisps, here are some buttery rhubarb oat bars to try!

It’s a buttery crust, sticky and gooey strawberry rhubarb filling with a hint of nutmeg, and a buttery oat crumble on top.

Yes please.

I don’t think I need to go on much further, so here’s the recipe! Anyway, I better stop writing before rhubarb season is over, haha.

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Recipe adapted from Curly Girl Kitchen

Rhubarb Oat Bars

Serves about 9-12

Ingredients

For the Crust and Topping

1 1/2 cups / 180g flour
1 cup / 90g rolled oats
1 cup / 226g cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For the Rhubarb Filling

1 lb / 454g (about 3 1/2 cups) rhubarb, cut into approx. 1/2” slices
1/2 cup / 100g sugar
6 Tbsp / 45g flour
1/2 cup / 160g strawberry jam
1 Tbsp / 15g lemon juice
1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Oven preheated to 350F / 177C. Lightly grease an 8x8in / 20x20cm square baking dish.

Make the Crust and Topping

In a food processor, blend all crust/topping ingredients together until the texture is like coarse pebbles. Alternately, you can mix by hand or with a fork or pastry cutter.
Take half the mixture and press into the prepared baking dish. Reserve other half for topping.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Make the Rhubarb Filling

In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Mix together well.
When the crust is done baking, pour filling over crust.
Bake for 30 minutes.
When the filling is done baking, crumble the remaining topping over filling and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until top is light golden-brown.
Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. (The refrigerator can help speed up this process.)

Jenny’s Notes:

If you don’t have rolled oats, instant oats can be used.
The strawberry jam could be switched out for a different flavor of jam!
If you can’t wait to dig into your freshly baked bars, you can always go at it with a spoon! It will be more like a crumble when it’s still warm, but hey, is that a bad thing?