Apology Bars

5.18.16

Happy Hump Day! I’m a little behind on life. When it rains it pours, and right now I’ve got a raincloud all over my head. I’ve been lucky enough to be very busy with theatre things, along with the day job; but on top of it all, I’ve been battling an epic sore throat and some type of bug that basically makes me want to sleep all day.  Therefore, getting things accomplished has been a little slower since I’ve felt like poop for about three days.  So you’re a post short this week, as I recover, catch up, and prep a six layer cake I’m making for a friends baby shower this weekend.

But as an apology I made you these strawberry rhubarb bars.  So when you feel like butt, or just feeling lazy and don’t want to make a pie, you can use only two bowls and make something to brighten your day.  They’re pretty juicy, but I love it.  Playing around with the crust/crumble of other recipes just seemed too hard or dry. I even presented the ingredients in a way that shows you just how easy they are to make. Dump them in the bowls, boom.  Done.

For the Crust/Crumble

For the Filling

 

The rhubarb I found was so pretty, it basically had it’s own photoshoot.

These are so fast to make, it makes you question why you’ll ever make the pie version again.  Oh wait, because pie is delicious.

But when you don’t have pie time, or just don’t feel like it, these are a great solution.

 

So apology accepted right? We’re cool? Great. See you on Friday.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Ingredients

For the Crust/Crumble

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted

For the Filling

• 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, diced
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries, diced
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Line 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper for easy removal and spray pan and paper with cooking spray
• In first bowl, add in dry crust ingredients, mix together, then pour in butter and stir until large crumbs start to form
• In second bowl, add in all filling ingredients and stir so sugar and corn starch are evenly distributed, set aside
• Scoop out about 1/2 cup of crust and set aside, pour the rest into the pan and pat down so it evenly covers the bottom of the pan and is packed tightly
• Pour filling over crust (you can pour it in a sieve first to drain juices but that’s an extra step)
• Spread out filling so it’s an even layer over crust
• Sprinkle reserved crust on top
• Bake for 35-40 minutes
• Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly
• These can be enjoyed warm with ice cream, but I chilled them in the refrigerator to allow them to crisp up a bit