Rhubarb Compote Squares

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: North American

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1 20

Servings: squares

Calories: 362kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Homemade sweet and tart compote is sandwiched between two layers of a buttery and chewy crumb mixture in these Rhubarb Compote Squares. Serve these slightly warmed or at room temperature with fresh berries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate early summer dessert!

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Ingredients

For the Compote Filling:

8 cups rhubarb, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar

For the Crumb Mixture:

1 ½ cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour

Instructions

Add your chopped rhubarb to a saucepan. If you are using fresh rhubarb, go ahead and add three tablespoons of water to the saucepan with the rhubarb now. Add in the lemon juice and the sugar. Over medium heat, cook the mixture, stirring often, until the rhubarb breaks down and a thick mixture remains. This will take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how much water content is in your rhubarb and how thick you want the compote to be.
The desired thickness level will vary. You will want to be able to spoon it up so that it remains slightly rounded on the spoon. Since rhubarb is fibrous, the compote will have a noticeable stringy look and texture. If you don’t care for that, you can cut the rhubarb into smaller pieces before preparing the compote. Once the compote is thick, remove it from the heat and allow it to fully cool.
While the prepared compote cools, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and add the crumb mixture ingredients to a mixing bowl. You can use your hands to massage the ingredients together or you can beat them together with a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer.
Once the crumb mixture is well combined, transfer just over half of it to a 9×13-inch baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Press the crumb mixture down slightly to form a flat crust. You can use a drinking glass or a small rolling pin to roll out the crumb mixture evenly.
Next, spoon the cooled compote mixture over the flattened crumb layer.
Top that with the remaining crumb mixture, but rather than pushing it down to make it flat, crumble it over the rhubarb layer and let it fall where it may.
Place the baking pan into the preheated oven and bake it for 40 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for a minimum of one hour before attempting to cut into squares. They can be eaten right away, or when completely cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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