These Rhubarb and Custard Cookie Bars were born after a neighbor of my mum’s handed in some fresh rhubarb from their garden. I had it in my kitchen for a few days, and I was intending to make it into some tasty jam. Which I would then add into these tasty bars inspired by those old school rhubarb and custard sweeties.
courtesy of keepitsweet.co.uk
But alas, the rhubarb wasn’t that fresh and I had to dispose of it before I could use it. Thank goodness for ready-made supermarket rhubarb jam! The jam I used had ginger in it too, which was a nice addition, but not necessary for these bars, if you can get plain rhubarb.
The base of these bars equals the cookie part, it’s a cookie dough baked into a flat 9”x9” pan. I spread jam over the base before I popped it into the oven. Then I made a thick custard flavoured icing – like I use in Nanaimo barswhich I spread over the topped of the base when it had cooled.
The result was a tasty bar, crunchy on the bottom, tangy fruit in the middle and creamy sweetness on top. Here’s how I made them:Yield: 25 squares approx.Base Ingredients:170 grams unsalted butter, softened75 grams granulated sugar175 grams plain flour25 grams porridge oats½ teaspoon salt1 tablespoon water200 grams of rhubarb jamTopping:80 grams unsalted butter, softened3 tablespoons custard powder1 teaspoon vanilla extract375 grams icing sugar3 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)Method:Grease and line a 9”x9” pan with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180C.In a bowl mix the butter and sugar for the base until light and creamy. Sift in the flour and mix through. Add the oats and mix these through also. Add some water if the mixture is quite dry, up to 1 tablespoon. Transfer to the pan and press evenly with your fingers so the cookie dough covers the base evenly. Spoon over the rhubarb and spread it evenly over the dough.
