strawberry rhubarb crumb bars
three layer bars with a buttery flaky crust, jammy strawberry rhubarb filling, and crumbly oat topping
baked in June 2026
yield: 12 bars
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
difficulty level: easy
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup (28g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
Filling
- 2 and 1/2 cups (about 380g) chopped strawberries
- 2 and 1/2 cups (250g) sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Directions
For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. This takes at least 5 minutes of cutting in with a pastry cutter.
- Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl.
- Pour over the flour/butter mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand. Use your hands if needed—the mixture comes together easier with your hands than with a spoon.
- You will have about 6 cups of the crust/crumble mixture. Set 2 cups aside. Pour the remaining into the prepared pan and flatten down with your hands or a flat spatula to form an even crust. It will be a little crumbly—that’s ok. Set aside. (Oats will be used in the topping in the next step.)
For the filling:
- Gently mix all of the filling ingredients together. Spread over the crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the filling. Sprinkle the oats on over top.
- With the back of a large spoon or flat spatula, lightly press the topping down so it’s a bit snug on the strawberry rhubarb layer.
- Bake for about 42-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean (with a few jammy strawberry/rhubarb specks!).
- Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. After about 1 hour, stick the whole pan in the refrigerator to help speed things up.
