As a kid, we had a close family friend that was an excellent baker. All his breads and treats were amazing! This whole grain rhubarb oatmeal bars recipe was adapted from the only recipe of his that I have.
I adapted Floyd’s recipe to make it whole grain, and to use fresh fruit, or in this case, rhubarb, which is actually a vegetable! Floyd made his recipe with jam instead.
I love these bars for their nutty flavor, subtle sweetness, and fresh rhubarb taste. They are excellent eaten as is, or paired with ice cream for a decadent dessert.
Tips and Tricks for these Whole Grain Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars:
- If you cannot find white whole wheat flour, do NOT use regular whole wheat flour, it is not the same and the result will be dry and hard. You can sub whole wheat pastry flour or oat flour to keep it whole grain, or all purpose flour works too.
- Gluten free swap: Use oat flour in place of the wheat flour.
- Type of oats: I recommend quick oats for this recipe because their smaller size makes the bars less likely to crumble. Rolled oats will work if that is all you have, but be sure to store the bars in the fridge so they stay firm.
- Optional additions: Try adding vanilla to the rhubarb mixture or adding cinnamon to the crust mixture.
- Strawberry Rhubarb version: Swap a portion of the rhubarb out for strawberries and reduce the sugar for a strawberry rhubarb version.
- Store in the fridge: These bars can have a crumbly texture. If you store them in the fridge, they tend to stay together better.
- Why lemon juice? The lemon adds brightness which helps to elevate the flavor of the rhubarb. It can fall a little flat without. You can also sub orange juice.
- Green rhubarb vs red rhubarb: There are a few different varieties of rhubarb, and they come in different colors and hues. The rhubarb I have is green when sliced, so it does not turn as bright pink in baked goods as other varieties often terms “red” or “pink” rhubarb. Green rhubarb is just as flavorful as the other brighter versions. All the varieties can be used interchangeably due to having the same flavor.
Whole Grain Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Alison's Allspice
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 9
Ingredients
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour*
- ¾ cup quick oats
- ¼ cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cups sliced rhubarb
- 3 TBS water
- 2 tsp lemon juice (fresh is best)
- ⅓ cup sugar or honey (or other sweetener of choice)
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, combine the rhubarb, water and lemon juice, uncovered. Cook until the rhubarb starts to break down, 5-8 minutes. Mix in sugar. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens, another 5-8 minutes. Let the mixture cool for another 10 minutes to continue to thicken.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Combine flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking soda in a bowl, stirring until just combined. Mix in melted butter and vanilla until mixture is crumbly. Press all but ½ cup of crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan.
- Spread the slightly cooled rhubarb over the oat mixture in the baking pan. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool before cutting into bars. I like cutting into 9 bars, but 16 smaller bars would work too.
- Store in the fridge for the best texture.
Notes
*If you cannot find white whole wheat flour, do not substitute regular whole wheat flour. The bars will be very dry and dense. To keep the bars whole grain, you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour or oat flour. All purpose flour can also be used.
