Recently I found a recipe for rhubarb bars on Pinterest that were from a famous bakery and looked amazing. They had a cream cheese shortbread crust with a rhubarb curd topping. After following the recipe to the letter, the end result was, in a word, disgusting. The so-called shortbread was heavy and terrible (real shortbread doesn’t have cream cheese in it for a reason), the topping, while it had a good flavor, was heavy and dense, and the two layers separated while cutting. Since I had some Roasted Rhubarb in my freezer, I set out to make my own version using my favorite lemon bar recipe as a guide. The following Rhubarb Shortbread Bars are, in a word, delicious!

These easy bars are tart, like lemon bars, but have the distinct flavor of rhubarb. Rhubarb lovers will swoon; rhubarb haters won’t know that they are eating rhubarb and will probably like them, too.


32 Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
2 cups Roasted Rhubarb
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup lemon juice
Red gel paste food coloring

Powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Spray a 9" x 13" shallow glass baking dish with non-stick spray.
3. Crust: Mix the butter, powdered sugar, flour, and salt until crumbly.
4. Press into the prepared pan.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Filling: While the crust is baking, measure the roasted rhubarb into a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
7. Add the eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice and whizz until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice.
8. Add enough drops food coloring to make a rhubarb color and mix well.
9. When the crust has baked, remove from the oven and pour the rhubarb mixture over; smooth out and bake 20-25 minutes or until the center is set.
10. Remove from the oven, let cool thoroughly, and sprinkle with powdered sugar before cutting into 32 squares.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 171 Calories from Fat 61
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 36% Protein 5% Carb. 59%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 63 mg
Sodium 119 mg
Total Carbohydrate 25 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 13 g
Protein 3 g

Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 3% Calcium 0% Iron 2%