Vegan Rhubarb Crumble Bars
The perfect compliment of sweet and tart in a recipe that heralds spring!
Ingredients
Crumble Crust/Topping
- 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup vegan butter, cubed eg/ Earth Balance baking sticks
Rhubarb Filling
- 4 cups diced rhubarb
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1/2 to 3/ /4 cup sugar adjust sugar to taste, some prefer more tart, others more sweet
- 2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
Crumble / Crust Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper that overlaps on two opposing sides to make lifting the baked bars out easier
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon
- Using two forks, blend in the chopped butter cubes until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (Alternately, you can use your fingers to do this, but they will melt the butter a bit more than forks will)
- Spread 2/3 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan, pressing it down firmly into a crust
- Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden
Rhubarb filling
- In a heavy saucepan, combine rhubarb, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently for approximately 10 minutes
- When the liquid has released and the rhubarb has softened, sprinkle and quickly stir in the cornstarch, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened
- Turn off heat and let mixture cool briefly.
To assemble:
- Pour warm rhubarb mixture over baked crust in pan
- Evenly sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the rhubarb layer
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the rhubarb bubbling at the sides.
- Let cool completely
- Lift out of pan using the parchment as handles
- Cut into squares and serve
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months