Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

These amazing strawberry-rhubarb bars are perfect for anyone who loves that sweet-tart combo that screams spring! Your family and friends will absolutely love how the sweet strawberries balance out the tangy rhubarb, plus you get this incredible nutty crunch on top. The best part is they’re actually healthy too – you can feel good about serving these beauties!

Recipe Details

Timing & Servings: Active Time: 40 minutes, Additional Time: 2 hours 5 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes, Serves: 18 people (makes 18 bars).

Nutrition Profile: Diabetes-Friendly, Low-Sodium, Heart-Healthy, Low-Calorie.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 192 Calories, 9g Fat, 26g Carbs, 3g Protein.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Chopped nuts or oats: You’ll need 1 cup total – try walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, or just use old-fashioned rolled oats if you prefer. This gets divided up, so don’t worry about measuring it all at once!

Whole-wheat pastry flour: You’ll need ¾ cup of this special flour that makes everything so tender. You can find it in the natural foods section, and it’s totally worth seeking out!

All-purpose flour: Another ¾ cup of your regular baking flour works perfectly here.

Sugar: You’ll use ½ cup for the crust, plus another ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons for the filling. Regular white sugar is just fine!

Salt: Just ½ teaspoon to bring out all those amazing flavors.

Cold unsalted butter: 4 tablespoons cut into small pieces – keeping it cold is the secret to a perfect crust!

Large egg: One egg helps bind everything together beautifully.

Neutral oil: 2 tablespoons of canola or avocado oil keeps these bars nice and moist.

Vanilla extract: You’ll need 1 teaspoon for the crust and another teaspoon for the filling – it adds such wonderful flavor!

Almond extract: Just ¼ teaspoon gives these bars that special something.

Strawberries: 3 cups diced – fresh or frozen both work great! They get divided up in the recipe.

Fresh rhubarb: 3 cups diced – this is where that amazing tart flavor comes from.

Orange juice: ¼ cup adds brightness and helps the fruit cook perfectly.

Cornstarch: ¼ cup is your thickening magic – this keeps the filling from being runny!

How to Make Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

Step 1: Start by making your crust in a food processor. Combine ¾ cup of your nuts (or oats) with both flours, ½ cup sugar, and salt. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground – this takes about 10-15 pulses.

Step 2: Add your cold butter pieces and pulse until everything looks well mixed. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and almond extract.

Step 3: With the food processor running, pour in your egg mixture. Process and pulse, scraping the sides if needed, until it starts to clump together – about 30 to 45 seconds. It’ll look crumbly, and that’s perfect!

Step 4: Measure out ½ cup of this mixture and mix it with the remaining ¼ cup chopped nuts in a bowl. Set this aside – it’s your topping! Preheat your oven to 400°F and generously spray a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Step 5: Time for the filling! In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups strawberries, 2 cups rhubarb, orange juice, the remaining sugar, and cornstarch. Bring this to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Step 6: Keep stirring until the mixture gets really thick – this takes 4 to 5 minutes with fresh fruit, maybe up to 10 minutes with frozen. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup each of strawberries and rhubarb, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Step 7: Press your crust mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Make sure it’s even and well-pressed – this is your foundation!

Step 8: Spread the fruit filling over the crust, then sprinkle your reserved topping evenly over everything. It’s going to look so pretty!

Step 9: Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F. Continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes more until the crust and topping are lightly golden brown.

Step 10: Here’s the hardest part – let them cool completely before cutting! This takes at least 1½ hours, but it’s so worth the wait for clean cuts.

Easy and Quick Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars Version

Want to speed things up? You can make the crust and topping mixture up to a day ahead! Just cover and refrigerate both parts, then assemble and bake when you’re ready. You can also use a store-bought shortbread crust if you’re really in a time crunch – just press 2 cups of crushed shortbread cookies into your pan and skip right to the filling!

Serving Ideas

These bars are absolutely perfect on their own, but they’re also amazing with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. They make a wonderful dessert for spring gatherings, Mother’s Day brunches, or just because you want something special! I love serving them with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon.

Storage

You can cover and refrigerate these bars for up to 5 days – they actually taste even better after a day or two! You can also wrap individual bars and store them that way. They’re delicious straight from the fridge, or you can let them come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.

Substitutions

No whole-wheat pastry flour? You can use all-purpose flour instead, just use 1½ cups total. If you can’t find rhubarb, try using tart apples or even cranberries – just adjust the sugar to taste. You can swap the nuts for more oats if you prefer, or use whatever nuts you have on hand. Coconut oil works great instead of the neutral oil too!

Pro Tips

• Keep it cold: Make sure your butter stays cold for the flakiest crust possible!
• Don’t skip the cooling: I know it’s tempting, but letting these cool completely makes all the difference for clean cuts.
• Line your pan: Use parchment paper for super easy cleanup – just lift the whole thing out!
• Frozen fruit works: Don’t worry if you only have frozen strawberries – just cook the filling a bit longer.
• Test for doneness: The filling should be thick enough that a spoon stands up in it briefly.

FAQs

Can I make these bars ahead of time?

You bet! These bars are actually perfect for making ahead. You can prepare the crust and topping mixture up to a day before and keep them covered in the fridge. The finished bars keep beautifully for up to 5 days refrigerated, and they taste even better after the flavors have had time to meld together!

What if I can’t find whole-wheat pastry flour?

No worries at all! You can totally substitute with regular all-purpose flour – just use 1½ cups total instead of the ¾ cup each. The bars will still be absolutely delicious, just slightly less tender. You can find whole-wheat pastry flour in most grocery stores in the natural foods section if you want to try it next time!

Can I use frozen rhubarb instead of fresh?

Sure! Frozen rhubarb works great in this recipe. Just don’t thaw it first – add it straight from the freezer. You might need to cook the filling mixture a few extra minutes to get it nice and thick, but otherwise the process is exactly the same.

Why do I need to let them cool completely?

I know it’s torture to wait, but cooling completely is super important! The filling needs time to set up properly, or you’ll end up with messy, gooey cuts instead of beautiful clean bars. Trust me, the wait is totally worth it for those perfect Instagram-worthy squares!

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely! This recipe doubles beautifully if you’re feeding a crowd. Just use two 9×13-inch pans or one large sheet pan. Keep an eye on the baking time – you might need a few extra minutes, but the temperature stays the same.

I’d love to hear how your strawberry-rhubarb bars turn out! Did you try any fun variations or substitutions? Share your baking adventures with me – there’s nothing I love more than hearing about your kitchen successes!