Lemon bars are the ultimate blend of sweet and sour flavors. We love throwing an extra dash of zest into the batter to make the treats tangier, but you don’t have to look to lemons alone to give the dessert a boost. For an even more vibrant taste (and color) in your next batch of lemon bars, make them with rhubarb.
Sure, rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but the zesty, reddish-pink stalks tend to be paired with sweet treats, like dark chocolate brownies or strawberry pie. The tart fruit is pretty acidic, with a flavor that’s been likened to fruits such as green apples, raspberries, and, of course, lemons. There’s a slight, verdant bitterness to it that’s overtaken by the sourness, and completely masked when mixed with sugar. Rhubarb’s brightness is its most prominent trait, making it a great vegetable to add to baked goods, especially lemon bars.
The tart stalks bring out lemon’s own zesty flavors, and the sweetness that goes into the treats prevents the combination from becoming astringent. Raw rhubarb has a crunchy bite that’s reminiscent of celery, but when cooked, it takes on a tenderness that elevates lemon bars. While your shortbread crust parbakes, beat eggs, lemon juice, and chopped rhubarb together before adding in flour, lemon zest, and sugar, and mixing everything together. Pour the lemon rhubarb filling on top of the golden brown crust and bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, or until the filling has set.
Elevate your rhubarb lemon bars with these sweet ideas
Incorporating rhubarb is a genius way to upgrade lemon bars, but you don’t have to stop there. The tangy vegetable is often spruced up with all kinds of baking spices when added to desserts, and it can make a delicious add-on to rhubarb lemon bars, as well. Cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger add a warm contrast to the tangy ingredients, giving them a sweet depth. To easily incorporate the spices into the treat, heat the chopped rhubarb with brown sugar, water, and your choice of spices before blending it and mixing it into the lemon filling.
You can also spice up the lemon bars by adding the seasonings to a glaze, instead. The sweet layer adds a delicious touch to the lemon bars that contrasts with the tangy ingredients perfectly. Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter, and pour the warm glaze on top of the cooled lemon bars.
If you’d rather embrace the vegetal side of rhubarb in your treat, add the vegetable to lemon-thyme bars. The woodsy, slightly citrusy herb maintains the brightness of both lemon and rhubarb, while bringing out the latter’s earthy flavor. You can stick with just thyme when making the bars, or include other complementary herbs like basil or rosemary.
