It's been a long time since I baked anything! I was worried I might be rusty, but these bars were extra easy to whip up so they turned out great! And no, I didn't get my oven back yet :-( Just had a chance to bake them while at work the other day, which was nice so I could share the wealth.
I found this recipe on one of my favorite new blogs, Back To Her Roots. Among many reasons, I love Cassie's blog because she met her foreign husband online too! Their story is so romantic and reminds me of my own love story :-)
I also love her inspirational posts about becoming a healthier person and the recipes she shares. This recipe for strawberry-rhubarb bars is the first one I've tried and I am far from disappointed! Though I couldn't find the chia seeds and had to adapt it a little, this recipe is awesome! (I have located where I can find chia seeds here now, and am looking forward to trying that version as well).
I think these bars taste amazing! I calculated it and they only have 160 calories each! I'm enjoying them for breakfast and mid-day snacks, since they have real fruit, whole grains and natural sweeteners. Yum!
Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars
-Adapted from Back To Her Roots
Makes 16 bars; 160 calories each
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
1½ cups sliced strawberries (about 9oz/250g)
1½ cups sliced rhubarb (about 2½ stalks)
2 T. agave nectar
1 T. corn starch
¼ cup water
For the Crust:
1 large egg
1 stick margarine, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup maple syrup
2 T. whole milk
1½ cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the filling ingredients to a boil. Reduce and simmer gently about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the fruit is cooked down and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg. Mix in the melted butter, maple syrup and milk.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Reserve 2/3 cup of the dough, and with greased hands press the rest into the bottom of a greased 9x13” cake pan.
Spread on the cooled filling, then crumble the reserved dough over the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is well browned. Cool completely for one hour before slicing.
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
These look so delicious and simple. Oh and healthy too. I'm going to give these a go as soon as I get my hands on some rhubarb!
ReplyDeleteLizzy these are right up my alley..strawberry rhubarb is one of my all time favorite combinations! Where do you buy the agave necter? Im still searching for a darn 9x13 pan aswell..lol
ReplyDeleteThanks Audra! I would def try them, if I were you. They're especially great right after they've cooled!
ReplyDeleteSonya, I bought the agave at a nature store. And I think the pan I used may have been a bit smaller than a 9x13 and it worked fine. The dough looks really thin and it's kind of hard to spread out, but it bakes up nice and fluffy :-)
Sorry, I mean that the dough looks like a thin layer when you press it into the pan, not that it's thin in consistency. It's anything but that lol. It's really sticky and thick! Kind of like cookie dough.
ReplyDeletecan you believe that I have never had rhubarb? This recipe might be a good way of getting acquainted with its taste :D
ReplyDeleteMmmm I love strawberry rhubarb and these look amazing! Glad to hear you're baking again.
ReplyDelete@Aledys Ver: Strawberries and sugar are a good way to become acquainted with rhubarb :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Allison! Me too, I missed baking.
Haha! I love that you have been playing with strawberries and rhubarb! These look delish! Our rhubarb is making a nice little show, but I bought some at the farmer's market in NYCover the weekend and made us some compote. The strawberries are from North Carolina at this point. We won't see them until June ... but the wild ones are blooming in my back yard! Cool, huh? I'll post a short post tomorrow and show you!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad you liked these! They are one of my favorites. :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to have wild berries growing in my back yard, Susan. You're so lucky! I'm looking forward to your post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe Cassie! They were awesome!
Those bars look scumptious! If you like rhubarb feel free to use of the 100's on the site I began devoted ONLY and entirely to rhubarb!
ReplyDeletewww.rhubarb-central.com
P.S. - I plan to visit Holland someday...I am in Canada, but both parent were born in Holland, so much about our life has dutch roots...but I have never visited...but One day!!!
Awesome! I'm going to pass your site along to a friend of mine who is obsessed with rhubarb :-) And you should definitely visit Holland! It's a wonderful place.
ReplyDelete