A good recipe developer will test and adjust a recipe at least a handful of times before publishing it. As a consumer of cookbooks I can usually tell after making a few recipes what the author’s philosophy on recipe testing is. Does the recipe work well? Are the instructions clear?
When I publish a recipe here I try my best to produce well written recipes. Luckily, I don’t have very many utter failings in the kitchen, usually it is either good or forgettable, but rarely inedible.
I find I have the most problems when I adapt a recipe to make it healthier. I know this rhubarb and oatmeal bar recipe will work for you, because I want through several revisions.
The first version was far too sweet and so greasy it was like I had just dipped the bar in melted butter. The second version had too much nutmeg which completely overpowered the rhubarb flavour. However, my third attempt made the rest of the work worth it.
Luckily, although I don’t have a fleet of recipe testers (or maybe I do?), I have a spouse who is willing to eat my imperfect rhubarb baking. He is even enthusiastic about it.
(makes one 8×8″ pan worth)
Adapted from these Rhubarb Crumb Bars
Crust:
1 cup whole wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup oats
1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
3 cups rhubarb
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 one whole nutmeg, grated
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
a pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350F. To make the crust, combine flour, sugar and oats with a fork and stir in melted butter. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray and press in half of the crust mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Now it is time to make the filling. In a mixer or large bowl beat the egg. In a small bowl fork together the sugar, nutmeg, flour, ginger. While beating the egg, add the sugar mixture in and beat together. Chop the rhubarb into 1/4″ slices and mix into the filling. Pour over into the pan and then sprinkle with remaining topping. Press gently.
Bake for 25-35 minutes or until browned on top.
Similar Recipes:
Rhubarb, Ginger and Pumpkin Muffin
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Apple and Rhubarb Crisp
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
yum! I’ve been loving rhubarb these days.
those looks a bit too crumbly to be a good portable bar, i know that you adapted it from a “crumble” recipe though. any way to firm it up so that it could be a good on-the-go snack? because it looks very yummy
I’m like you…I have almost no inedible fiascos, but some forgettables. Which is always unfortunate, but what can you do! Maybe I need to get me a spouse who will eat my inedible food. Hmmm…
I love the sound of these bars! Rhubarb is my favorite veggie (fruit??) at the moment!
Wendy – me too, I just can’t get enough!
Karyn – they are definitely closer to a date square then a “bar”. I am not sure how best to firm them up.. maybe by not having a rhubarb layer but rather mixing it in? It is an interesting question…
Joanne – The spouse is key for cooking experiments!
Very nice looking otmeal bars. I love rhubarb it is so tart and tasty.
yum! I’ve been loving rhubarb these days.
Just discovered your blog as I have plans to make a toast with rhubarb chutney and blue cheese this weekend and have been googling the heck out of rhubarb to come up with creative ideas for flavor pairings. These sound yummy.
I agree with your suggestion above, it’s probably tricky to firm the bar up without changing the textural consistency so it would probably have to be mixed in. You could add a bottom crust, but much like pie it would still be a bit messy.
PERFECT! I’ve been searching for this EXACT type of rhubarb recipe for the past 30 minutes and am so glad to have finally found yours to satisfy my craving. A rhubarb bar that is hearty and heavy but not overly sweet and “desserty”. Will have to make these first thing tomorrow so that I can have them for breakfast, mid-day snack, and after dinner dessert! Thanks!
siri – awesome! Let me know how they turn out.
I, too, searched for a healthier-not-too-sweet rhubarb recipe. I loved these! Thank you so much!
I count calories and added up all the ingredients, if anyone is interested. The entire recipe is 2,779 calories. So divide them into however many bars. I sliced them into 9 bars for 309 calories each.
Also, mine were pretty firm because I pureed the rhubarb in my Vitamix blender first. I did that because I detest chunks of rhubarb but love the flavor of it-I’m like a child when it comes to textures! I was worried because it made the filling liquidy but they cooked awesome and were pretty firm so that I could eat one with just my fingers like a soft granola bar.
I will definitely make these again. Thank you!
Your list of ingredients calls for ground ginger only, but the method calls for adding ground ginger & grated ginger. Is this an error, or an oversight in the list of ingredients?
@Charlene – so glad you liked them!
@Betty – Sorry Betty the grated ginger was from an earlier revision. I have updated the text.
I was given a whole lot of rhubarb so looking for creative and yummy ways to use it. I love fruit bars so I’m going to give this recipe a try. I don’t have whole nutmegs, any idea how much ground nutmeg I’d need?
Thanks!
Kathryn
@Kathryn – not too much maybe 1/4 or a 1/2 teaspoon? Buy some the next time you see them, they last forever and I find I can really tell the difference between ground and fresh. Sometimes the ground stuff has a slightly metallic taste. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Cool, thanks, I’m hoping to make them tonight so I’ll let you know. And I’ll look for some whole nuts next time I’m in the store.
Squares were a success! I’ll probably use a bit more nutmeg next time but it’s such a strong flavour I wanted to be cautious on the first run. Of course by then I might have purchased some actual whole nutmegs!
Kathryn – so glad you enjoyed them. I was nervous about the suggestion too!
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