Love that buttery sweet topping on a
crisp or a cobbler? Then you’ve got to try these strawberry-rhubarb crumble bars. Featuring tangy sweet fruit filling and a buttery crumb topping, these bars will make you the most popular person at your next spring cookout.
The rhubarb:
Resembling a reddish-pink stalk of celery, rhubarb is a crunchy tart vegetable commonly grown in the United States between April and June. It’s overwhelmingly sour when eaten raw, but when tossed in sugar and paired with other fruit, it brings a refreshing tang to a dessert. Because of its high water content, rhubarb can be tricky to bake with. I’ve opted to use frozen rhubarb for this recipe, since it’s available year-round and also allows us to better control the moisture levels. Make sure to thaw the rhubarb fully, drain all excess liquid, then firmly press out all excess liquid before measuring and tossing it with the rest of the filling ingredients. You don’t want to flood the bars!
The crumble:
Patience is key to making this crumble. Similar to making pie dough or biscuits, we’re rubbing a LOT of butter into dry ingredients, and this process can’t be rushed. Make sure to toss the butter cubes in the dry ingredients until each is individually coated in flour, then start systematically working through the bowl, smashing and rubbing the cubes between your thumb and fingertips until the butter is broken down into a mixture of small shards and tiny pebbles. That combination—which is not achievable in a food processor—will give your crumble the ultimate combination of flakiness and tenderness.
Storage:
These bars are best enjoyed the day they’re made. Even with the utmost precautions and careful draining, the moisture in the fruit will seep into the other layers overnight, softening both crust and crumble. The bars will still taste amazing, but the textures in the layers won’t be as distinct.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!