Swirled Rhubarb Bars

My husband and I recently visited our local farmer’s market. We are typically there for just a short time, as we pretty much know what we are looking for. In this case, it was good that our trip was short, as just as we made it back to the car, it started pouring. We were certainly fortunate to miss the rain, and we had found the items we were looking for, so all was good.

The main thing I wanted to get was rhubarb; I had found a recipe last year, but it was too late to find rhubarb. I wasn’t going to miss it this year! We did purchase rhubarb, but we had also bought some different jams, including rhubarb jam. Since the first part of this recipe was to make rhubarb jam, I made a crumble with the rhubarb and used the jam for these bars.

With the premade jam, these bars came together quickly. They take a while to bake, but your time in the kitchen isn’t long. I will say that the bars had more swirls before I baked them, but it evens out some in the oven. These cut beautifully and have that wonderful tang that you get with rhubarb. I wasn’t sure about including the white chocolate, but they add a little bite of sweetness. 

Swirled Rhubarb Bars
1 1/3 cups (284g) packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups (180g) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup white chocolate, chips or chopped
About 3/4 cup rhubarb jam

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8" square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Melt the butter in the microwave (or in a small pan over low heat) and pour over the brown sugar mixture. Whisk for about a minute; the mixture will lighten and become thicker. Add the eggs and whisk until combined. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Stir into the mixture, and when the flour almost disappears into the batter, add the white chocolate and stir to incorporate.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Drop teaspoonfuls of rhubarb jam on top of the batter. Use a small knife to swirl the jam into the bars.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until set and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Recipe from King Arthur Baking