A spring favorite here, jammy and fragrant and definitely passable as a breakfast pastry.
If strawberries are not in season, swap out your fruit: peaches in the late summer, or an apple and caramel layer in the fall! Rhubarb has a short window but can be replaced with another cup of any berry should it be unavailable.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and finely chopped
- 2 stalks (1 cup / 120 grams) rhubarb, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup (72 grams) light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
For the Crust and Crumble:
- 1 cup (90 grams) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 3/4 cup (84 grams) slivered almonds, divided
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) coconut oil, as a solid (4 ounces / 113 g cold butter or vegan butter works too)
- 1/3 cup (72 grams) light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line an 8-inch / 20 cm baking pan with a parchment paper sling, and grease with cooking spray or butter.
- In a heavy pot over medium heat, combine the orange juice, strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon zest. You may need a sprinkle more sugar if your berries aren’t tops. Simmer the fruit, uncovered, until it has cooked down and looks a bit jammy, about 10 minutes. Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot with a splash of orange juice until smooth, and stir that into the berry mixture. Simmer another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- For the crust and crumble, in a food processor, pulse together the oats, flour, 1⁄2 cup / 56 g of the almonds, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse just a few times. We still want to see specks of oats; it should look crumbly. Add the cold water and pulse until the dough will press together and stick when you press it between your fingers.
- Transfer half of the crust mixture to the prepared pan and press it down into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes until the top is just toasted. Allow the crust to cool completely.
Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from Around Our Table by Sara Forte (Hardie Grant Publishing, 2024).