Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust

Here is another recipe that I just had to try and it did not disappoint! I love sweets, but hate having them hanging around my house for me to eat and eat and eat... So, this was another treat that I took along for the 4th of July and it was a hit!


Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust
(recipe found at www.cookincanuck.com)

Crust:
3 whole graham crackers, broken into 1 inch pieces
12 gingersnapp cookies, broken into 1 inch pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling:
2 (8 ouces each) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/4 inch peieces
1 1 inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare an 8" square baking pan by lining the pan with aluminum foil, leaving 3-4 inches of foil draping overthe sides of the pan. For the crust: Place graham crackers and gingersnaps into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the crackers form fine crumbs, about 30 seconds. To the crumbs, add butter, brown sugar, flour and salt. Pulse until the ingredients are fully combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers, press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes. Let the crust cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.

For the filling: in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until it is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape the beaters and sides of bowl frequently. Gradually beat in sugar until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, over top of the cooled crust. Spread evenly. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb and ginger to the water and sugar syrup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is very soft and falling apart, 7-10 minutes. Remove and discard the piece of ginger. Cool for about 10 minutes. Using a teaspoon, spoon 1/2 cup of the rhubarb mixture gently onto random places over the surface of the cheesecake. Using a small knife, gently swirl the rhubarb mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Bake until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken slightly, 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool for 2 hours. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours. Using the overhanging foil, lift the bars from the pan. Gently remove the foil and cut into 16 bars. Top the bars with the remaining rhubarb sauce immediately before serving.

I really enjoyed this dessert!! I did end up making few changes... I love, love, love a good crust and this one sounded delish - so I doubled the recipe for the crust! I was right, it was yummy and I got a lot of comments on the crust in particular! Also, as you can tell from the picture, it is missing the rhubarb sauce on the top... That is because my sous chef (my hubby) got a little impatient with the dish washing part and ended up throwing out my extra sauce... Oh well, it was good without it and he was TRYING to be helpful! :) Also, I used rhubarb that had been frozen already and it still tasted wonderful - so it is a great recipe to bust out that rhubarb that is hanging around your freezer! Enjoy!!