Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
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Do you have plenty of rhubarb to use or maybe you are anticipating how much you will need to use up this season? These yummy Rhubarb Bars are so simple to make!
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
These bars are delicious….if you are a rhubarb lover!! If you are like me, your rhubarb season is once a year and usually only short-lived. It starts to appear in April and reaches it’s peak in June as long as we have rain. That is what happens to me. I try to make as many items as possible during that season, but this is one recipe that I make year after year. Several years ago, I had a neighbor that gave me a recipe that was very similar to this.
Over time, I have tweaked it and changed it to make it fit perfectly for us. This recipe is what I would call the “fig newton” type of rhubarb bar. I guess that is kinda what it reminds me of. It has a top and a bottom and then a nice sauce layer in the middle. They hold together well and are, Oh….so tasty!
Another great thing about this sauce mixture is when you have that abundance of fresh rhubarb, you can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it. It saves time for these bars to be put together in time by making the top and bottom crumble/crust for them.
I have also used cherries from our bushes or plums from our trees as a substitute for the rhubarb and made them that way. So, you can see that these bars are delicious and versatile for what you have on hand, regarding fruits.
Fresh rhubarb is the best for flavor, taste, and texture, but frozen rhubarb will work just as well. Top it all off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream when you are ready to serve!
Ingredients in Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars
- Arrowroot powder. You could also use cornstarch or another thickener if you don’t have arrowroot.
- Water.
- Sugar. I use cane sugar. I’ve not tried this recipe with a sugar substitute.
- Rhubarb. The rhubarb can be fresh or frozen, depending on the season.
- Vanilla. This can be Homemade Vanilla Extract or from the store.
- Butter. If you use salted butter, you can leave out the salt in this recipe; otherwise, use unsalted.
- Oats. I use old-fashioned oats or rolled oats for this recipe. Quick oats will not work the same.
- Brown Sugar. This is one item I don’t buy in bulk because it hardens so quickly. Just keep on hand what you need.
- All Purpose Flour. You can also use gluten free flour mix for a gluten free version.
- Baking Soda. I buy this in bulk from Sam’s Club.
- Salt. Any kind of salt will work. I use pink salt.
Instructions for Making Rhubarb Dessert Bars
In a saucepan, stir together the arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch, water, sugar, rhubarb, and vanilla.
Cook this mixture until it is thickened and bubbly on low to medium-low heat. It usually takes about 20 minutes.
While this is cooking, mix together in a bowl: butter, oatmeal, brown sugar, flour (or gluten free flour mix), baking soda, and salt.
Use a pastry blender or fork to get a crumbly consistency.
Grease a 9 x 13 pan. (Merissa actually made this 9×13 pan for me! 🙂 ) Place 1/2 of the crumble mixture in the bottom of your pan and pat it down firmly. Now pour your rhubarb sauce mixture over the bottom crust. Place the remaining crumble mixture over the sauce and pat down slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly. They are best to cut while they are still a bit warm.
Need to print this Rhubarb Bars recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below!
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
Enjoy the bounty of the season with these salty, sour, and sweet Rhubarb Bars!
Ingredients
Rhubarb Filling
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cup flour or gluten free flour mix
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Filling
-
Cook this mixture until it is thickened and bubbly on low to medium-low heat. It usually takes about 20 minutes.
For the Crumble and Assembly
-
Use a pastry blender or fork to get a crumbly consistency.
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Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Place 1/2 of the crumble mixture in the bottom of your pan and pat it down firmly. Now pour your rhubarb sauce mixture over the bottom crust. Place the remaining crumble mixture over the sauce and pat down, slightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven and cool slightly. They are best to cut while they are still a bit warm.
How to Store Leftover Rhubarb Bars
Once the pan has cooled, you can cover it with plastic wrap and store the leftover bars on the countertop or in the fridge. (Refrigeration is not required.) If only a few bars are left, you can put them in an airtight container and store them on the counter or in the fridge.
You could also wrap the bars in parchment paper and a freezer bag and put them in the freezer for later if you can’t eat them all now. (But it’d be better to half the recipe, use an 8×8 baking pan, and make smaller amounts instead.)
This Rhubarb Bars Recipe makes an incredible bar for a church gathering or potluck.
Enjoy!
More Rhubarb Recipes
- Here’s how to make delicious Rhubarb Smoothies!
- This Rhubarb Buttermilk Cake Recipe is so ridiculously good!
- And if you have even more rhubarb in your garden right now you might want to consider making and canning up some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.
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This recipe for Rhubarb Bars was originally posted on Little House Living in May 2014 and has been updated as of July 2023.
This sounds very good. Can’t wait for the rhubarb to grow and make some!
YUM! My husband would love these! I need to figure out where to get some rhubarb! I have been unsuccessful so far.
I absolutely love rhubarb! These look like a great new way to try it for me!
We do not have rhubarb here in Florida. I don’t think I’ve ever had any. Looks good though!
While rummaging through my freezer looking for some ideas for supper, I came across a package of rhubarb from last years crop here in Saskatchewan. Now thanks to you, I will be making your delicious squares.
Yum! I love a good old fashioned dessert and these look delicious!
Visiting from Saturday Night Live. I adore rhubarb and I’m currently dedicating May to it on my blog. These bars look super yummy. I co-host Sweet and Savoury Sunday and would for you to stop by and share these and other recipes with us. Have a great day!
My husband loves rhubarb. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe this year.
I’ve never tried rhubarb before. Now I think I’m missing out because this recipe looks so delicious. I love that they’re so simple to make.
I love rhubarb and your bars sound delicious!
I avoided rhubarb as a kid, but I love it now! These look terrific!
Yum, these look super good! I love rhubarb, it’s just so versatile in all kinds of cooking.
Visiting from Sunday Brunch at Mums Take Five.
These look so tasty!!
These look delicious and are a MUST try! Thanks for posting the recipe to the Pintastic Pinterest Party!
YUM! Thank you for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist! Hope to see you again this week!
This looks great! I wish I still had the two big rhubarb plants I had a few years ago in Oregon!
My family loved this. They are also BIG fans of your Wacky Cake and Caramel Icing. Thank you for the wonderful recipes and tips.
I’m so glad they enjoyed this recipe!
I made these the other night for dessert and they were a big hit with
my family. I’m trying to avoid food waste and had a few biscotti that were getting stale, so I crushed them and used them to replace some of the flour. They turned out great!
I’d like to can the rhubarb mixture for using later. What are your recommendations? (Water bath or pressure canner? Time?) I love your web site. Very informative and great pictures. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Hi Sandi, I’ve got a recipe for Canning Rhubarb here.
My whole family loves these bars, I have made them three times since I found this recipe. Tonight when I made them I added frozen blueberries and replaced the flour with oat flour. So good warm with ice cream or cold for a sweet treat. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe!
How much rhubarb do you buy to get 4 cups?
I don’t buy rhubarb, we just get it from our garden. You’d need probably a pound or two for 4 cups.
Could you post the icebox pickles again.my family loved them but I misplaced the recipe
Wondering why you only have rhubarb from April to June. We pick ours as long as the growing season; spring to whenever it frosts in the fall.
Usually it gets too hot and dry to continue to pick it after June…it just depends on the year.
can these be frozen after cooking
Yes they can.