Rhubarb Crisp Bars

Did you know it is supposed to SNOW tonight in Minnesota? What? We had full weeks in April of 70 degree weather and now in May its going to snow? How is a person supposed to cope with this? Can I tell you a secret and do you promise not to tell my husband? I coped very well by treating myself to $120 cowgirl boots and by baking this Delicious rhubarb pie/crumble/bar type thing. They were divine. Rhubarb isn't quite ready yet this season...but I still had some frozen and stashed in my freezer from last year. I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a pie or a crisp so I did both! The base layer is a press-in pie crust with rhubarb in the middle and an oat based crisp on top. Wow...were they awesome...so awesome I ate half the pan and vowed never to make them again. We'll see.

Rhubarb Crisp Bars

For Pie Crust:

1 cup flour

2 tbls sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

For Rhubarb Filling:

3 cups chopped rhubarb

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tbls corn starch

For Crisp Topping:

3/4 c sugar

3/4 quick cooking oats

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

7 tbls butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter, work ingredients until it is well combined. The dough will be crumbly. Press crust into an 8x8 glass pan with your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup.

Next for the rhubarb filling, combine rhubarb, 3/4 c sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and dump over crust, speading until even.

Last for the crumb topping, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut butter into pats and with your hands work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is combined and crumbly. Then break mixture into little crumbs over the top of rhubarb, speading evenly over the top.

Bake for 40 minutes if you have fresh rhubarb...mine was frozen so I ended up baking it for 60 minutes. When entire top is nice and golden brown pull it out of the oven and dig in immediately! Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream if your into that.

Enjoy!