Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

 I love rhubarb season, and there is always so much of it. The only problem is, is that mostly all rhubarb recipes are desserts because you have to add so much sugar to make it good. I found this one on pinterest and it is really good. I like the combination of strawberry and rhubarb because I think it makes it a little less sour.

My awesome little helper mixing up the cookie dough!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

 Source: Table For Two

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, cut into 7 or 8 chunks

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling**(See Below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan. Set aside. In a mixer, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, baking soda, salt, and vanilla until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Set aside about 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture. Pour remaining crumb mixture in bottom of prepared pan and spread evenly. Press crumb mixture down.

Using a spatula, spread the fruit filling in an even coat on top of the crumb crust. Then with the reserved crumb mixture, crumble it on top of the fruit filling.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

**Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

The recipe I used just used store bought filling, but I decided to make my own. The whole purpose is to use an over abundance of rhubarb, right? I got my recipe for the strawberry rhubarb sauce from Allrecipes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

5 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cups. sliced fresh strawberries (I used frozen)

1 cup slice rhubarb

Combine sugar, orange juice, cornstarch, and vanilla in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add strawberries and rhubarb; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove from heat and mash the cooked berries with a fork, or in a blender for a smoother filling.

*You can use this sauce for many things: over cake, ice cream, cheesecake