Let's start with this: these pie bars are awesome and amazing (of course) and they work well with frozen fruit. You do not need to pay an arm and a leg for fresh raspberries (or pick them yourself); you can get a bag of frozen goodness. And if you grab a bag of frozen rhubarb at the same time, you are that much closer to making these tasty bars.
The crust is nice, and the mixture (plus toasty walnuts) has a crunchy layer on top of juicy fruit. These bars are lovely for breakfast, lovely for brunch and lovely for dinner. So many options!
Rhubarb-Raspberry Pie Bars
Servings: 16
Ingredients
Crust
2 ½ cup wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
¼ cup granulated sugar
â…“ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped fine
Filling
½ cup granulated sugar
â…“ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
20 oz rhubarb fresh or frozen, chopped into 1-inch pieces
12 oz raspberries, fresh or frozen
Directions
For the crust:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 13 iron casserole (or ceramic-glazed iron) pan and line it with foil for easy removal.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour, oats, granulated and brown sugars, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. Then add the butter and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand. It might take a few minutes, but keep going until the mixture looks like moist but still separate sand.
Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Prepare the filling while the crust is baking.
Add the toasted walnuts to the remaining mixture and mix well to combine.
For the filling:
In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large bowl, mix the rhubarb and berries together. Pour the sugar mixture over the fruit and stir gently with a spatula to evenly combine.
To assemble:
Remove the pan from the oven, spread the filling over the crust in an even layer, and sprinkle the remaining crust + walnut mixture evenly over the top.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the crumbly top is light golden brown and the fruit juices have started to bubble. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. Place the pan in the fridge and let the bars chill for 4 to 6 hours.
Bars can be served cold or at room temperature and will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Enjoy!