Big Ray's Cherry Rhubarb Coffee Bars

These cherry-rhubarb bars are a cross between coffee cake and dessert bar and are a delightful treat with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup white sugar
• 0.33333334326744 cup cornstarch
• 1 (20 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cup cold butter, cubed

Steps

1. Combine rhubarb and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
2. Mix 1 cup sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl; stir into rhubarb mixture. Cook and stir until rhubarb mixture is thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Stir in pie filling; remove from heat and cool filling, about 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
4. Combine 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; cut in 1 cup cubed butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
5. Beat buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl; add to flour mixture and stir just until batter is moistened.
6. Spread a little more than half of the batter into the prepared baking dish; top with cherry-rhubarb filling. Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining batter over filling.
7. Combine 1 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 cups flour in a bowl; cut in 1/2 cup cubed butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over batter.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.