Home Recipes by Type Desserts
5
/5
2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
20 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 08/19/2013
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These rhubarb cardamom shortbread bars with buttery crumb pastry, tart rhubarb and sweet strawberry jam, are perfectly spiced with cardamom.
Are you a rhubarb lover or hater? I’m firmly on the “love” side of the equation. I posed the question on my facebook page and surprisingly (sort of), more people seem to love it than hate it. Yay!
My mom makes a rhubarb cream pie that is to die for. She grows the rhubarb in her backyard. This carries on a tradition in my family. My grandma and great-grandma always had rhubarb growing in their backyard gardens. In fact, I believe that my mom’s rhubarb plants are grown from cuttings received from my great-grandma. The recipe for rhubarb cream pie came from my great-grandma, too!
These rhubarb cardamom shortbread bars come in as a close second to the rhubarb cream pie. The cardamom pairs perfectly with the tart rhubarb and the sweet shortbread. Great with a cup of coffee or tea! Or put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a slice for a decadent dessert.
Funny story about this shortbread. I was adapting it from PBS.org, and totally spaced out on my butter measurement. I momentarily forgot that that one cup of butter equals two sticks. I swear having two kids turns your brain to mush. Or maybe I’m just so used to doing my own thing in the kitchen that I forgot how to follow a recipe. Yeah…I think that must be it.
So anyways, I’m mixing this dough and thinking that it looks really dry. I look back to the recipe and start hitting my head against the wall when I notice my mistake. Do I bake it and see what happens? Or do I dump it and start over? Missing a WHOLE STICK of butter is kind of a big deal…right? Especially when it’s half the amount required.
I decide to cross my fingers and throw it in the oven to bake. Guess what? The bars turned out fantastic! Such a happy surprise! Didn’t have to waste any dough plus I saved myself about 1,349,340,930 calories (give or take). Win!
Have a sweet tooth?
Looking for more bar recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth? Try some of my favorites:
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars
- Nerds Rice Krispie Treats
- Blueberry Crumb Bars
- Black Bean Brownies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Orange Creamsicle Cookie Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Recipe
Get the Recipe: Rhubarb Bars
5 from 1 votePrep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr
Additional Time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
24 bars
Print Rate Recipe
Rhubarb bars are the perfect treat for when rhubarb’s in season and you don’t want to fuss with making a whole pie! Tart rhubarb is balanced by sweet strawberry preserves, then baked until jammy with cinnamon-spiced oat crust.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen (see note)
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- ⅓ cup water
For the Bars:
- 2 cups quick oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9 × 13-inch baking pan or dish lightly with nonstick cooking spray. LIne with parchment paper, spray again.
For the filling: In a small saucepan, mix together sugar and cornstarch. Add rhubarb, jam, and water. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook until thickened and rhubarb is mostly broken down, 10 minutes, or longer if the rhubarb is frozen. Mixture will be very thick. You should have about 2 ½ cups of filling. Set aside to cool slightly.
For the bars: In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and use a pastry cutter or two forks or knives to cut in the butter until the mixture is well-mixed and crumbly. It should hold together when you press it with your fingers.
Set aside 2 cups of crumb mixture. Put the remaining crumb mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly in an even layer, using your fingers or the back of a large spoon. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and carefully spoon fruit filling evenly over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and gently pat down with a large spoon. Put the bars back in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool completely. Using the parchment paper as handles, lift the bars from the pan and set on a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, cut the bars into the desired size.
Notes
- If you buy frozen rhubarb, you'll need about 21 oz.
- Storage: Store bars in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. If you want to keep them longer, refrigerate the bars for up to 7 days. To freeze the bars, wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and then in foil. Transfer the wrapped bars into a freezer-friendly bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or set them on the counter until they come to room temperature.
- Recipe retested and revised 3/2024. Previously Rhubarb Cardamom Shortbread Bars.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 55mg, Potassium: 115mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 257IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Author: Rachel Gurk
Verdict: These rhubarb cardamom bars are so good! I’m thankful I left a stick of the butter out. That way I don’t feel so bad about eating ridiculous amounts of these bars.
Husband’s take: He doesn’t like rhubarb but he loved these rhubarb cardamom shortbread bars!
Changes I would make: None are necessary.
Difficulty: Slightly time consuming to grate the dough, but it gives it a great texture. Other than that, easy!
You May Also Like...
Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Honey Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Reader Interactions
Leave a Review
mary nethercutt says
I want to post this on my face book how do I do that?
Reply
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks for your desire to share! If you’re on desktop, you can find sharing buttons on the right hand side of your screen. If you’re on a mobile device, they should pop up at the top. Or, you can copy and paste the URL into facebook and share that way. :) Hope that helps!
Reply
Ashley says
Oh my! I absolutely adore rhubarb. I always default to a rhubarb custard pie that my family has been making for yeeeeears when I come across rhubarb, but this looks simply wonderful!
Reply
vanillasugarblog says
now that sounds good!
I LOVE creative shortbread bars!Reply
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you!
Reply
Older Comments
