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Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars

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Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

It seems that the history of rhubarb is vague. Asian cultures use rhubarb as a medicinal plant. What is known is the medicinal purposes made it somewhat of a hot commodity. So much so that many countries throughout its history have tried to cultivate this interesting plant.

There are many different methods of cultivating this plant to maintain sweetness and tender texture. In the United Kingdom, the first rhubarb of the year gets planted and harvested in forcing sheds devoid of other light. And it’s harvested in the dark in hopes of maintain tender and sweet stalks. This reminds me of the white asparagus for some reason.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

 

What is rhubarb?

Rhubarb are the tender stalks of a species of the Rheum family. It’s technically a vegetable, but due to it’s bitter nature rhubarb is usually combined with sugar and made into a dessert. Rhubarb is also called the pie plant because it’s mostly used in pies. Because rhubarb is typically used in so many sweets, a New York court deemed rhubarb a fruit in 1947.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

For whatever reason, I have never found fresh rhubarb at my grocery store. It’s probably the store I shop at and I haven’t really looked for it at any other store. Because of this, I jumped at the chance of working with some thanks to Melissa’s Produce.

The last time I visited Dad’s, we went to a local farm market stand. Sort of like a co-op for local farms to sell their products. They had rhubarb there. Dad told me R loved rhubarb. I asked why he didn’t get any and he said she would want to make a pie. Since they are low/no-carb that wouldn’t be a good idea.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

He also said she loved rhubarb jam. Which got me thinking about what to make with the rhubarb. Why not try to make a low-carb rhubarb jam? So, that’s just what I did. I used a combination of Stevia and Splenda to make the jam.

What does rhubarb jam taste like?

Of course, I’ve never had rhubarb jam before.  And I think I may have only had strawberry rhubarb pie, but don’t quote me on that one. So, I have no baseline to compare my rhubarb jam to. All I know it was sweet tart like I expected it to taste.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

When I thought of making rhubarb jam, I knew I wanted to take that jam and make something else. Something creamy and delicious. And something that contained the crackers from Nairn’s. Creamy, crackers, and jam means cheesecake bars to m. Doesn’t it to you?

I knew I would be the only one to eat these bars. The hubs just doesn’t do well with sweet tart things. And I’m okay with that. That means I have to bake and take to work on those recipes. And they’re okay with that.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

 

What do Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars taste like?

These bars are creamy and swirled with the rhubarb jam. The cracker bottom has just the right amount of sweetness in there. You do not need to add more sugar to the crackers. They’re perfectly delicious on their won.

The cheesecake filling has just the right amount of sweet to counter the rhubarb. It also has a dash of vanilla from Taylor & College. This rounds out the flavor of the bars and the sweet tart rhubarb jam.

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek

I took the rest of the bars in to work. I thought maybe a few would disappear. Sometimes things go over well and sometimes they don’t. I left the container there for most of the week. However, when I came back to work on Friday the empty container was on my desk.  Someone wrote “Thank you!” on the post it labelling the bars.

I guess the Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars tasted better than I thought. I didn’t think they would completely disappear like that. But, they did. And I’m glad they did because I wouldn’t have wanted these delicious bars to go to waste.  And you won’t want these to go to waste, either.

Signature

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious. #SpringSweetsWeek
Yield: 9

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 51 minutes

Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars are full of sweet tart flavor.  They are creamy and perfectly delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 16 ounces cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups rhubarb preserves

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350.
    2. Place the crackers in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor running slowly add the melted butter.
    3. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment paper.
    4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes,
    5. Combine the cream cheese with the sugar in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment on a hand mixer.
    6. Add the eggs one at a time and then stir in the vanilla.
    7. Carefully pour the cheesecake mixture over the crumb crust.
    8. Spoon the rhubarb on top and swirl with a knife.
    9. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until lightly golden on the cop.
    10. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

9

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 361Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 106mgSodium 279mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 1gSugar 21gProtein 5g

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