Rhubarb Crumb Bars are your new favorite summer dessert

Rhubarb is an important plant to Minnesota bakers.

Not only can it be found in almost every garden, but for those of us living here in the North, it also holds great symbolism: the end of winter, finally. As its green leaves and pink stalks start to peek out of the ground, there is a collective sigh of relief. The winter has come and gone — spring is here at last.

Yes, we are now well into June and technically it’s almost summer, but I have rhubarb growing in my garden and plenty in the freezer to last me for months (cheater’s tip: If you don’t currently have any rhubarb, some grocery stores sell it in the freezer section, chopped and ready to go). It is showing up in much of my baking, most frequently in the form of crumble bars.

I’ve made many rhubarb desserts over the years, crisps and crumbles mostly, with mixed results. The finished product often tends to swing between a mouth-puckering affair or a sad, gray-green heap coated in too much sugar. After much tinkering in my kitchen, I came up with a crumble bar that had a pretty, pink fruit center that was perfectly tart, and a crisp, sweet topping that balanced out the fruit filling.

There are a couple of tricks up my sleeve to achieve this end result: Pre-baking the bottom crust helps keep it crisp while also letting the bars keep their shape, and adding a handful of raspberries to the rhubarb filling adds bright, gorgeous color.

These bars are delicious as is, but a heaping dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top of a still-warm rhubarb bar is the perfect way to celebrate the end of spring, and our entry into a glorious Minnesota summer.

Serves 16.

If your rhubarb is more green than pink, you can scatter a handful of raspberries on top of the fruit filling before adding the top layer of crumb, and they will help the filling turn a pretty pink color. If you are using frozen rhubarb, you may have to add some baking time. From Sarah Kieffer.

For the crumb base and topping:

For the rhubarb filling:

Directions

For the crumb: Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan and line it with a parchment sling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, almond flour, granulated and brown sugars, baking soda and salt on low speed to combine. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Prepare the filling while the crust is baking.

For the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, mix the rhubarb and vanilla together. Pour the sugar mixture over the fruit and stir gently with a spatula to evenly combine.

To assemble: Remove the pan from the oven, spread the filling over the crust in an even layer, and sprinkle the remaining crust mixture evenly over the top. Gently press the crumb coating into the fruit.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crumbly top is light golden brown and the fruit juices have started to bubble. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. Place the pan in the fridge and let the bars chill for 4 to 6 hours. Slice the bars and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Bars can be served cold or at room temperature and will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Sarah Kieffer is a Minnesota baker, cookbook author and creator of the Vanilla Bean Blog. Follow her on Instagram at @sarah_kieffer.