Rhubarb Oatmeal Crunch

In their first house, my parents found wild rhubarb growing in the back yard. At a loss for what to do with several pounds of fresh picked rhubarb, they asked around for any rhubarb recipes. One of their friends gave them a version of this recipe, which to this day, is one of my dad's favorite desserts.

The tart, tangy flavor of rhubarb plays wonderfully off of a crisp, crunch, and sweet oatmeal streusel topping in this colorful springtime dessert.

Desserts

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 30 min
Serves 6 to 8

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper and lightly oil with cooking spray.
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Melt butter in a microwave safe dish and add to dry ingredients. Mix well.
Pour half of mixture into pan. Press down to form a ¼ inch crust.
4 cups rhubarb
Wash rhubarb well and cut into ½ inch pieces. Place in pan on top of bottom layer of crust.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large sauce pan, combine water, sugar, corn starch, and vanilla extract. Stir until well dissolved. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently until thick. Remove from heat and pour evenly over rhubarb.
Pour remaining dry mix over rhubarb, spreading evening and pressing down with a spatula.
Bake for one hour at 350°F until golden brown and bubbly on the sides.
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.