Rhubarb bars and rhubarb crisp

Springtime also means rhubarb! I love the tanginess of rhubarb and much prefer it alone in desserts instead of being sweetened up with strawberry or other sweeter fruits. This is a pretty simple but terrific recipe for rhubarb bars, plus a bonus recipe to make a little bit of rhubarb crumble with any leftover rhubarb.

This recipe is for a 8"x8" square baking dish or pan - increase everything by 1/4 for a 9"x9" pan, or by half for a 9"x13" pan. I also like the tartness so if you prefer sweeter rhubarb desserts, you can increase the sugar a bit.

Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or 1 cup a.p. flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup confectioners' or powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, or 1-1/2 sticks butter

Topping:

• 3 cups rhubarb, chopped (a little less than a pound)
• 1/3 cup white or granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar and butter together - this is easiest by just getting your hands in there and working the butter through, bringing all the ingredients together into a dough. Press the dough into the bottom of your baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. It should be pale when it comes out.

In the same bowl, whisk your eggs, and then whisk in the rest of the topping ingredients, except the rhubarb. Add the rhubarb and stir well. Pour over the partially baked crust. Bake for another 35-40 minutes until it seems set and the rhubarb is tender. Poke at it in a few places - if it still seems runny or it just seems like it hasn't set yet, bake another 5 minutes or so and check again.

Once it's cool, cut into squares and serve. You can also sprinkle with a little powdered sugar if you like. I usually keep it in the refrigerator if it's not all going to be eaten right away.

Rhubarb crisp

If you have some rhubarb leftover, make a little rhubarb crisp too! Simply toss your leftover rhubarb with a little flour and sugar,  put in a small baking dish or a few ramekins and make a little crumb topping for a rhubarb crisp. When I made these bars and this bonus rhubarb crisp, I had about 1.3 lbs. of fresh rhubarb, which gave me 3 cups for the bars and then about 1-1/2 cups for the crisp.

Rhubarb mixture:

• 1-1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. flour
• small pinch of salt

Toss the ingredients together and then put in a small baking dish or a few ramekins.

Topping:

• 2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 3 Tbsp. rolled oats
• 3 Tbsp. a.p. flour 

Mix together until you get a nice crumbly texture - best done with your hands in my opinion.  Crumble enough of the topping over the rhubarb mixture to cover, but don't over do it - just discard whatever is leftover. Bake in a 350 degree oven alongside the rhubarb bars for about 25 minutes or more until the topping is nicely browned. Serve warm with a little ice cream if you like!