Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
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!
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. 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 rhubarb, you can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it. Saves time for these bars to just be put together in no 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, as far as fruits.
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Bars Recipe
In a saucepan, cook together:
- 2 T. arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup sugar (I use organic evaporated cane sugar)
- 4 cups cut up rhubarb (can be fresh or frozen)
- 1 t. 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:
- 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 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. 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
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.
-
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.
This Rhubarb Bars Recipe makes an incredible bar to take to a church gathering or potluck.
Enjoy!
Looking for another rhubarb treat?
- 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.
This recipe for Rhubarb Bars was originally posted on Little House Living in May 2014 and has been updated as of March 2020.
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