Strawberry, Rhubarb & Pistachio Bars – crisp, buttery shortbread base topped with pistachio paste and covered with tangy, sweet rhubarb and strawberries. Jump to Recipe
Following last week’s epic birthday cake, I thought a recipe a little less time and energy intensive was necessary this week – something that doesn’t take a day of planning and multiple components of cake layers, buttercream, lemon curd, meringue, cooking time, decoration time… instead, something you might make quickly on the morning you have friends over for coffee, for an easy dessert, or just to fill the tins for weekday baking. If you are anything like me, morning tea coffee doesn’t feel quite complete without something sweet alongside it.
Enter these strawberry, rhubarb & pistachio bars. Adapted from last summer’s apricot version (and one of the first recipes I posted here!), I remember being surprised at just how good the pistachio frangipane was when coupled with fresh apricots, a sweet nutty paste that is quite transformed from raw pistachios still tucked in their shell. However, apricot season hasn’t quite got underway yet, and with the abundance of strawberries around here it seemed the obvious replacement.
It really worked. A crisp, buttery shortbread-like base is topped with pistachio paste and covered with tangy, sweet rhubarb and strawberries, with the time in the oven bringing out the ripe, oozy fruit juices and bright pink colour.
All the decadent Thanksgiving recipes around lately had me feeling a little out of it here in New Zealand, where it isn’t celebrated and we are heading into hot and humid summer weather – so I figure this slice skips straight into Christmas colours, all green and red and celebratory. If you are in the Northern hemisphere, you could try replacing the strawberries with a different fruit, but be careful with frozen berries as they might be too juicy/liquidy for the base. You could also change up the type of nut – I imagine a walnut paste with caramelized apples and caramel sauce drizzled over (coupled with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, of course!) would go down pretty well. Or a hazelnut base with chocolate chips and roast pears scattered on top for a nutella-like combo…
It does look its best on the day it is made, covered in a dusting of icing sugar and sliced warm, but kept in the fridge it lasts a while. Best of all, all the work is done by a food processor or blender, meaning limited dishes and less than half an hour prep time.
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold
- 110 g (3/4 cup) shelled unsalted pistachios
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- pinch of salt
- 75 g (6 tablespoons) sugar
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 400 g strawberries and rhubarb , chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Icing sugar to dust
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Preheat oven to 180°C and line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper.
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In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the chunks of butter and process until it forms large clumps - this may take a minute or so. Press the dough firmly and evenly into the tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until very pale golden.
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In your food processor (don't bother washing it out), grind the pistachios, flour, salt, and sugar to a powder (or as fine as you can make it!). Add the butter and process until no longer visible. Add the egg and vanilla, blending until it forms a smooth paste.
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Spread the filling evenly over the cooked base.
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Toss the sliced fruit with the orange zest and juice, and evenly spread over the pistachio paste.
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Bake the slice for 50 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the pistachio comes out clean. Leave in pan to cool.
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Dust with icing sugar to decorate and cut into squares.
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Keep left over slice in the fridge in an air-tight container.
These might just be the prettiest bars ever! Loving all that gorgeous fresh fruit – such a perfect summer snack or dessert. Pinned!
Thank you Jess! X
Love the combination of ingredients here and it really looks like a fun dish to whip up for a weekend brunch! Never would have thought to combine pistachios but it sounds super dreamy.
Thank you! I would never have considered pistachios in a frangipani paste, either…but it just works so beautifully, you should try it! <3
Oh, this look to delish. I’ve never had rhubard before. Yup. I’m inspired to try em.
thanks Ai Ping! you MUST try rhubarb sometime, it is such a gorgeous fruit (well, actually vegetable…but it is pink and sweet!)>
You are my rhubarb inspiration! You always have the best looking and interesting rhubarb recipes 😀
haha it’s an honour! I just love rhubarb so much, I probably use it far too much around here but can’t seem to help myself.. glad you appreciate it though, thanks Ruby!! <3
Gorgeous bars, Claudia! What a lovely treat using delicious rhubarb. The shortbread crust sounds divine too! The pistachio is also such a nice touch – really makes these stand out <3
thanks so much Beeta! it is all the contrasting textures, with that buttery shortbread crust, that really make these bars special – you are so right <3
Oh how delightful! I love the different shades of pink/red from the fruit you used! Also digging your photography here. I feel like I could easily make these into some kind of nectarine situation too, since they’re in such abundance right now. While we all need a bit of decadent layer cake in our lives sometimes… here’s to simple baking! 🙂
Yes nectarines would be amaaazing, with a walnut or pistachio base… I think I’m going to have to try that sometime soon too! or peaches, when they come in – so many options! and totally agree, simple baking is something I could not do without. Thanks Hannah! <3
CLAUDIA I CAN’T EVEN!!! The rhubarb is so so pretty, and these bars look so tasty and buttery. I’m totally craving one right now even though I just had breakfast haha.
haha that is me every time, reading beautiful blog posts at odd hours and making myself hungry all over again! thanks so much Erica! <3
OMG, these bars are seriously pretty in pink! LOVE the strawberry, rhubarb and pistachio combination! Hand me a dozen of these and watch me go to town! Cheers and thanks for making me drool!! <3
YES so pretty, aren’t they? I have three younger brothers so feel like I need to infuse some girly pinkness into my baking sometimes haha! Thanks so much Cheyanne <3 <3
AHH THESE SOUND AND LOOK PERFECT CLAUDIA!!
everything i want in a bar – your genius!!
I can always turn to you for a delicious rhubarb recipe 🙂
hope all is well!
xx
aw thanks Bec! I LOVE rhubarb haha, probably use it a bit much but who cares – just so pretty and such amazing flavour!
xxx
These look incredible Claudia! Such a beautiful, vibrant colour! Love the icing sugar on top too. Delicious combination of flavours <3
These bars are making me wish it was summer and not gloomy and cold outside.
These look lovely! Do you think they would still work with coconut oil substituted for the butter? 🙂
Hmmm you could try it.. my first preference would be a dairy free, olive oil based spread (like Olivani). I’m just not sure how coconut oil would work in terms of its very low melting point! If you do give it a go, let me know if it works or not!
As summer rolls in, I’m always looking for the best sweets to make with the combo of strawberry and rhubarb. These look perfect for an outdoor dinner party. Yum!