Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

This was taken (with some very heavy adaptations) from an idea on Cooking.com. However, I found quite a few problems with the original recipe after eyeballing the ingredients, so I played around with the proportions just going by previous experience of what recipes for my rhubarb pie and other crumbles called for. In the end, the first attempt was probably a B+, but it wouldn't take much to get it into the A range on the second try!

Base and crumble topping:

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
• 1.25 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Fruit mixture:

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1.5 cups chopped strawberries
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, blend the base ingredients together with a fork or your fingers until the butter is no longer visible and the mixture is loose and crumbly. Transfer about 3/4 of the mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers or a measuring cup to press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
3. In another medium bowl, stir the rhubarb, strawberry, cornstarch and sugar together. Pour into the pan. Crumble the remaining base mixture on top of the fruit.
4. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing into pieces.

Note: The flavors tend to take time to blend together. It will taste different the next day, but the crumble may not be as fresh and crispy due to the liquids in the center. So, it's best to enjoy it the day-of, but allow it time to sit and settle.