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!