Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Bars

This is one of my new favorite summertime recipes. these crisp bars turned out incredibly gorgeous. They also made for a nice snack or dessert -- I even ate a few for breakfast. Rhubarb is pretty bitter, but when paired with strawberries, the flavors of both make something pretty harmonious.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:

-1 cup rolled oats

-3/4 cup plus up to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

-1/2 cup light brown sugar

-Heaped 1/4 teaspoon table salt

-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-1 teaspoon cornstarch 

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

-1 cup small-diced rhubarb (from about 1 1/2 medium stalks)

-1 cup small-diced strawberries

-Powdered sugar, for decoration, if desired

Line the bottom and two sides of 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, this will help you easily remove the dessert.

Place oats, 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar and salt in bottom of the 8x8 baking pan and mix. Pour the melted butter over the flour/sugar mixture, and stir until clumps form. If the clumps feel soft or look overly damp, add the remaining 2 tablespoons flour to help firm up the mixture. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture and then press the rest of the crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Next, spread half the fruit over the crust. Sprinkle it evenly with cornstarch, then lemon juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Spread remaining fruit over this, and top with second 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Scatter reserved crumbs over fruit and bake bars for 30 to 40 minutes at 375. Mine took a little on the longer side, you'll want the fruit to be bubbly and the crisp portion to be golden.

Let the bars cool in pan, once cooled, remove from the 8x8 and cut into squares. Store the leftovers in the fridge.

We thought that these were excellent. The crisp bars weren't too sweet, but I didn't feel the need to add powdered sugar to the top before serving. The tart flavor of the rhubarb pairs perfectly with the sweet tartness of the strawberries. The bottom of the bars became nice and crisp and the crispy topping over the fruit was full of flavor.