Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
These Strawberry Rhubarb Bars are sturdy yet delicate. With a soft cake-like layer at the bottom and a light oats crisp on the top. Sweet and sour. Summery and bright. Perfect dessert to celebrate summer
These Strawberry Rhubarb Bars are sturdy yet delicate. With a soft cake-like layer at the bottom and a light oats crisp on the top. Sweet and sour. Summery and bright. Perfect dessert to celebrate summer
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature ((1 stick))
- 1/4 cup ricotta
- 1 1/2 cup flour ((see note))
- 1 pound strawberries
- 1/3 pound rhubarb
- 1/3 cup quick cooking oats or rolled oats
- Carbohydrate 8.50138147142325 g
- Cholesterol 35.5528125125936 mg
- Fat 8.6707438812582 g
- Fiber 0.737087596743965 g
- Protein 1.31568943660644 g
- Saturated Fat 5.33127840976137 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (76g)
- Sodium 4675.59590848317 mg
- Sugar 7.76429387467928 g
- Trans Fat 0.649413914899796 g
- Calories 114 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Line a 9x13 inch sheet pan (quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper.
Preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit establishes the thermal gradient required for proper leavening activation before butter fats melt completely out of the crumb structure. Combining strawberries and tart stalks of rhubarb creates a balancing act between malic and citric acids, which naturally macerate when combined with sugar molecules due to osmotic pressure drawing cellular water outward. Managing this moisture release prevents soggy textures across the baked crumb base. Incorporating cold butter cut into dry flour at a three-quarters ratio produces flaky pockets rather than a homogenous dough, while room-temperature unsalted butter beaten with ricotta yields an emulsified cake layer that holds structural integrity under heavy fruit compotes. Quick-cooking oats absorb surface liquids differently than rolled oats due to their finer particle size and rolled thickness, altering the final crispness of the streusel topping. Historically, pairing perennial spring stalks with early summer berries emerged in northern European baking traditions as overlapping seasonal harvests filled empty larders. Chilling the finished squares for two hours inside a sealed container solidifies the dairy fats and sets the pectin matrix, ensuring clean slices with distinct textural separation between the tender cake and crunchy oat crust.
