Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars
Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable with ruby and green stems. It is a hardy long-lived plant, does not suffer from many pests and requires little maintenance. Rhubarb does best where the average temperature falls below 40℉ in the winter and below 75℉ in the summer, which is why you often find it in northern gardens. Its bright crisp stalks are used in a variety of desserts, sauces and jams where the sweetness can balance out the tart flavor. The leaves of the plant are toxic, so be sure not to ingest those! A family friend has rhubarb growing in his backyard and generously shares it with us when we stop by. On a cold, rainy day in June, I felt like warming up the house with a homemade dessert. After hearing my parents rave about the rhubarb cheesecake bars their neighbor passed along, I had to try my hand at my own version.Now these bars—with a few little tweaks—have become a favorite in our home every June as we eagerly await rhubarb season. So dang delicious!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- ½ c. cold unsalted butter, cut in chunks
- ¼ c. sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
Rhubarb Filling
- 6 c. diced rhubarb
- ? c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. sugar
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 16 oz. cream cheese
- 1 ½ c. sugar
- 1 egg
Sour Cream Glaze
- 8 oz. sour cream (full-fat)
- ½ c. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Pulse the crust ingredients in a food processor and pat into 9 x 13 pan.
- Mix rhubarb filling and pour on top of crust. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese mixture on high until smooth and creamy. Spread on top of warm rhubarb layer. Reduce oven temperature to 350℉ and bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven off.
- Mix ingredients for sour cream glaze. Pour on top and place in warm oven for 10 minutes. Let bars cool for at least 45 minutes to set.
Notes
- I prefer unbleached all-purpose flour and organic cane sugar, but whatever you have on hand will work just fine!
