One-Bowl Rhubarb Crumble

After spending Father’s Day in Kansas City with my parents, I returned home to Springfield with a 2-gallon bag full of chopped rhubarb and two new recipes for this much-loved but tart delight.

Before I made the trek up to my parents’ home, my mom and I made a list of everything we wanted to make: angel food cake, bloody marys and this new rhubarb recipe she had just scooped up from one of our favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Besides being packed with tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries (the perfect flavorful duo), this recipe is a one-pan dish. The lack of dishes to wash afterward was a big selling point for my mom.

So bloody marys in hand. We set to work harvesting thick stalks of rhubarb from her garden and measuring out the oats, brown sugar and lemon juice. The whole crisp was prepped and assembled in about 15 minutes, and after a short run in the oven, the  aroma of tangy rhubarb had taken over the kitchen.

There’s not much to this recipe, and the end product is a slightly crunchy, barely chewy bar that makes for a great breakfast treat when you’re hurrying out the door. It’s not overly sweet, and the addition of rolled oats gives this treat an almost healthful look.

With a freezer packed with chopped rhubarb, I’m eager to see what other rhubarb creations I can find.

Now get baking.

One-Bowl Rhubarb Crumble

from Smitten Kitchen 

Ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar
Heaped ¼ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup rhubarb, chopped
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. For easy removal, line the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
3. Place oats, 3/4 cup of flour, brown sugar and salt in the baking pan, and mix together.
4. Pour the melted butter over the flour mixture, and stir until clumps form. If the clumps feel soft or look overly damp, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Set aside ½ cup of the crumble mixture. Press the rest of the crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.
5. Spread half the fruit over the crumb mixture. Sprinkle it evenly with cornstarch, then lemon juice and ½ tablespoon of granulated sugar.
6. Spread the remaining fruit over this, and top with the second ½ tablespoon of sugar.
7. Scatter the reserved crumb mixture over the fruit, and bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes until fruit is bubbly and crisp topping is golden.
8. Let the bars cool in the pan. Cut into squares, and serve. Store leftovers in fridge.