Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

The first time I tried these yummy treats at a meeting, I demanded the recipe. Ever since, I've been in love!

What You Need:
For the Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (cold)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk

For the Topping:
4-5 cups chopped rhubarb (I prefer it to be thin/small for these bars.)
1 6-oz. or 2 3-oz. packages of strawberry Jell-o
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (cold)

Make the Crust

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees (F).

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Cut butter into small pieces.

Add the butter to the flour mixture, and, using a Pastry Cutter/Blender, cut in the butter until it makes small- pea-sized - crumbs.

Combine the eggs and milk in a small dish or cup. Add the eggs/milk to the flour mixture.

Stir with a fork until the crust mostly sticks together. This is the one hard thing about this recipe. This crust is a little tricky. You don't want to overmix it, or it gets a little tough.

Press the mixture into a 9"x13" cake pan lined with parchment paper (not waxed paper).
This is a sticky process. It takes a little time. Be patient. It will eventually stick. And really, skipping the parchment paper may make this step go better, but then you wouldn't be able to remove it to cut the bars, and NO thank you!

So, then you want to spread the chopped rhubarb over the crust, like so.
Over this rhubarb, you sprinkle one 6-oz. or two 3-oz. packages of strawberry gelatin. (I forgot to get a picture. Just try to get it relatively even, but it's not that specific.)

To make the streusel topping, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl. (I usually use the same bowl from the crust, to save time on dishes.)
Cut the butter into small pieces again, and mix it in with a pastry cutter.

Spread the streusel over the jello-covered rhubarb.

Bake at 375-degrees (F) for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Let the bars cool completely. This usually means a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Once the bars are cool, run a sharp knife around the edges to release any of the topping that is stuck to the pan. (If it's touching the pan, assume it's stuck.)

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove the entire pan of bars from the pan (before cutting them). This makes cutting them into bars so much easier.

Finally, cut them into bars, and enjoy!
These bars need to be stored in the refrigerator. (They're so good that they won't last long in there, though!!)

Click the Links Below to See:
Chocolate-Caramel Turtle Bars
Other Rhubarb Recipes and Ideas (Coming this week!)

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