Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Lezlie's Note:

A delicious rhubarb bar, great for the first rhubarb of the season, or to use up the last. I have found that cooking the rhubarb in half water half fruit juice (I've used orange or pineapple) enhances the flavour nicely.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 24 bars

Crust

• ½ cup chopped nuts
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 1 cup brown sugar , packed
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup shortening
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Filling

• 3 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Crust: Combine all ingredients until crumbly.
2. Pat half of mixture into 13x9" baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes before pouring filling on top.
3. Filling: In saucepan combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and water.
4. Cook until clear.
5. Blend in vanilla.
6. Pour over baked crust.
7. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
8. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Reviews

[Chef #1289438]

Really outstanding, easy, and delicious. (I used about 4 cups of rhubarb because that's what I had, and it worked great.) Be sure to let it cool completely before cutting into bars; otherwise it slumps onto your plate. When cool it has the structural integrity of a regular cookie.

[katie in the UP]

Wonderful bars! Instead of shortening I used butter, I also replaced the water with cherry juice for the chopped nuts I used pecans. Fabulous and delicious! Thank you for posting!

[The Queen in Quebec]

I liked almost everything about this recipe except for 2things: too sweet and had a funny kind of artificial taste from the shortening. If I did make it again, I would use less sugar and something more natural tasting than the shortening.