Rhubarb Bars
Submitted by: Stephanie (@stephlikesramen) / St. Paul, Minnesota
Who passed this recipe down to you? My grandmother
Recipe origin: Minnesota
The story behind the recipe:
My grandma, Gay Schultz of Mankato, MN, passed away in February at the age of 95. When my family got together in May for her memorial, my aunt plopped a big box in my lap. When I opened it, it was all of my grandmother's recipes. I spent several hours organizing them by food or item category (cakes, cookies, etc), but she had so many rhubarb recipes, they got their own special category. Receiving these recipes aligned with rhubarb season in Minnesota, and I had several friends donate their wild yard rhubarb to me so I could try making some of my grandmother's recipes. I have many memories of eating rhubarb desserts in my childhood summers, but this was my first time ever making anything with the plant myself.
Ingredients:
For the rhubarb jam:
3 cups cut-up rhubarb (1/4" pieces)
1.5 cups sugar (or less, for a more tart flavor)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 water
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the crumble:
1.5 cups oatmeal
1.5 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening or butter
1/2 cup nuts
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
For the rhubarb jam:
Dissolve cornstarch in water. Mix above ingredients and cook until thick. I cut my rhubarb into about 1/4" pieces. You can use less sugar if you'd like more of the tart flavor of the rhubarb to come through. You can also add strawberries for a classic combo. It takes 30-60 minutes to cook and thicken.
For the crumble:
Mix together, until crumbly. Pat 3/4 into 9x13 pan. Pour rhubarb mix over and sprinkle remaining crumble on top.
Bake 375* for 30 mins.
