Rhubarb Bars Recipe (With A Shortbread Crust)
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Indulge in the perfect balance of tart and sweet with this delicious rhubarb bars recipe with a shortbread crust. The buttery crust complements the tangy rhubarb filling, making for a crowd-pleasing dessert.
Rhubarb Bars Recipe
I’m back with Barbara’s Rhubarb Bars recipe. I find this quite funny actually, because as I was researching some background info, I realized there’s a viral video on the Internet about a German girl named Barbara who bakes rhubarb bars.
Since my name is Barbara, and these are my rhubarb bars, I find this quite fitting, although I am only German many generations back.
I can’t vouch for the German Barbara, but let me tell you that these rhubarb bars with a shortbread crust are delightful. I dropped off some at my sister’s house, and she immediately texted to tell me how much she liked the shortbread crust on these bars.
Rhubarb Dream Bars Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour (divided)
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar (confectioners sugar)
- Large Eggs
- Granulated Sugar (white sugar)
- Salt
- Fresh Rhubarb Stalks
This is another recipe from the Farm Wife in Delight Wier’s Kitchen Cook Book. And, I find it so cool that she calls these Rhubarb Dream Bars because I also make a rhubarb dream bar recipe that’s very similar, but mine has Cool Whip smeared in a thick layer over the top, and they are served cold.
I love how different families take the same recipe, and tweak it to their liking. The author noted that her farmers liked to come in the afternoon for a snack, and I can see her whipping a batch of these rhubarb dream bars up. I am guessing they were too hungry to let these cool. Instead, she served them hot with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
How to Make Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using either a food processor or a pastry blender, make the shortbread crust. To do so, pulse together the 1 cup flour, cold butter and powdered sugar until the mixture has pea sized crumbs of butter. If you do not have a food processor, combine and flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl, and then use either a pastry blender or two forks, and press the cold butter into the flour until you get a mixture of pea-sized pieces.
- Press the mixture into a 11.5 x 7 inch baking dish or an 9 x 9 inch baking dish. The mixture will be powder like, and that’s ok because the butter will melt into the shortbread crust during baking.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup flour and salt. Stir in finely chopped rhubarb. (The food processor also works great to get finely chopped rhubarb. Pulse until fine.)
- Pour over the crust.
- Bake for until lightly golden brown.
- Serve warm with cool whip or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or let cool on a wire rack, and serve as rhubarb bars.
Storage Instructions
Let leftovers cool. Transfer to an airtight container, and store at room temperature for up to 48 hours. To extend shelf-life, store in the refrigerator. To easily store individual rhubarb bars, stack with a small piece of parchment paper between each bar cookie.
Recipe FAQs
- Different varieties of rhubarb contain varying amounts of red and green colors. Your rhubarb dream bars might look more red. If you prefer more red, add a little food coloring to the mixture before baking.
- 1/2 cup butter is equal to 1 stick. Keep the butter cold, do not soften or melt.
- A food processor works great for this recipe. Use it to pulse the shortbread mixture and to finely chop the rhubarb. You don’t even have to clean it in between.
- If you don’t have a food processor, use a sharp knife and cutting board to finely chop the rhubarb. To make the shortbread mixture, use either a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter uniformly into the mixture of 1 cup flour and 5 tablespoons powdered sugar.
- The shortbread mixture seems really dry as you press it into the pan, and that is ok.
- Be sure to divide the flour for two different steps of the recipe.
- This is a 2-step baking processor. The crust bakes for 15 minutes, and then add the rhubarb mixture, and cook for an additional 35 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Add fresh strawberries with the rhubarb for a strawberry rhubarb bar recipe. Or, sprinkle the rhubarb with dry strawberry jello mix instead.
- Stir in the zest of a lemon or orange to the rhubarb mixture.
What can I do with too much rhubarb?
- Rhubarb Pie
- Spiced Rhubarb
- Rhubarb Nut Bread
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Rhubarb Crunch
- Strawberry Rhubarb Fool
- Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake
- Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake
What to do with one stalk of rhubarb?
Dice the rhubarb into pieces, add it to a small saucepan with some sugar, and a splash or water. Let the rhubarb stew or cook down. Serve over ice cream or yogurt.
How to keep rhubarb pie from getting soggy?
I stir in a 1/4 cup of cracker meal or crushed saltine crackers to the rhubarb pie filling before adding it to the crust. This will help keep it from getting soggy.
Can rhubarb bars be frozen?
Yes, rhubarb bars can be frozen. Once cooled, wrap the bars tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Short Bread Recipes
Kitchen Tools and Pantry Staples
- All Purpose Flour
- Confectioners Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Celtic Sea Salt
- Baking Dish
- Food Processor
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Silicone Whisk
- Spoonula
Rhubarb Bars Recipe (With A Shortbread Crust)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour (divided)
- 5 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups rhubarb finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using either a food processor or a pastry blender and a large bowl, cut butter into 1 cup flour and powdered sugar mixture. If using a food processor, pulse 1 cup flour, powdered sugar and butter until you get a coarse powder mixture with pea sized bits of butter.
- Press the mixture into a 7 1/2 x 11 inch pan or a 9 inch square pan. The mixture might feel dry like a powder, and that's ok.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, white sugar, 1/4 cup flour, salt and rhubarb. (To easily chop rhubarb, pulse in the same food processor bowl that you used earlier.)
- After 15 minutes, remove shortbread crust from the oven, and pour rhubarb mixture over top.
- Return to the oven, and cook for an additional 35 minutes or until set and lightly golden brown.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Or let cool, and cut into rhubarb bars.
Notes
-
- Different varieties of rhubarb contain varying amounts of red and green colors. Your rhubarb dream bars might look more red. If you prefer more red, add a little food coloring to the mixture before baking.
- 1/2 cup butter is equal to 1 stick. Keep the butter cold, do not soften or melt.
- A food processor works great for this recipe. Use it to pulse the shortbread mixture and to finely chop the rhubarb. You don’t even have to clean it in between.
- If you don’t have a food processor, use a sharp knife and cutting board to finely chop the rhubarb. To make the shortbread mixture, use either a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter uniformly into the mixture of 1 cup flour and 5 tablespoons powdered sugar.
- The shortbread mixture seems really dry as you press it into the pan, and that is ok.
- Be sure to divide the flour for two different steps of the recipe.
- This is a 2-step baking processor. The crust bakes for 15 minutes, and then add the rhubarb mixture, and cook for an additional 35 minutes.
- The nutritional information is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.
Nutrition
