Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

I had a ton of fun looking through all the rhubarb recipes you linked for me. In the end, I decided to go with something with strawberries in it, too, since I had strawberries in the fridge that needed to be eaten along with the rhubarb. But I am saving all the other recipes because in the end, I was a bit disappointed that the rhubarb flavor didn't come through more. In this recipe, there is so much sugar and strawberry flavor that the rhubarb is more of a subtle tone, not the star!

I found this exact same recipe over and over on the web, so I feel okay reproducing it here. The end result is really yummy, even if it isn't overly rhubarb-y. It makes a super yummy breakfast treat, too!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

1 1/2 cups rhubarb pieces (cut to 1 inch slices)

1 1/2 cups strawberry slices

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Combine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice in 2-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender (8 to 12 minutes).

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Stir into fruit mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil (about 1 minute). Continue boiling until thickened (1 minute). Remove from heat. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

I actually used my food processor to make quick work of making the crust, and it worked beautifully. If you have some extra strawberries and rhubarb hanging around your kitchen, this is a great treat!