RHUBARB CUSTARD BARS*

PREP; 25 MIN. + CHILLING + BAKE: 50 MIN. + MAKES: 3 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST--

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

FILLING--

2 cups sugar

7 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 large eggs, beaten

5 cups finely chopped fresh, or frozen rhubarb that's been thawed and drained

TOPPING-- (I do NOT make and add this to the bars-- I say they are good "as is".)

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (I used the food processor for this).   Press into a greased 9x13" baking pan/dish.  Bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl.  Whisk in cream and eggs.  Stir in rhubarb.  Pour over baked crust.  Bake at 350-degrees for 40-45 minutes OR until the custard is set.  Cool.
3. For topping (If you choose to add it)--  Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream.  Spread over the top.  Cover and chill.  Cut into bars.  Store in the refrigerator.

Per Bar:  198 cal., 11 g fat (7 g sat. fat), 52 mg chol., 70 mg. sodium, 23 g carb., 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.* Once I tried these creamy bars, I had to make them for family and friends.  the fruit and custard layers inspire people to go find rhubarb-- Shari Roach, South Milwaukee, WI (Taste of Home, April/May 1998 Issue.)

BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS*

I am posting this recipe here because 

I do NOT want to lose track of it.

Servings:  12 muffins (This recipe makes 18 smaller muffins if you don't fill the cups as full)

Prep Time:  15 Minutes

Bake Time: 25-30 Minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).

Total Time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour, fluffed up and leveled off.
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened (right now, I only had salted butter here)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (I usually don't like almond flavoring very much, but I trusted the author of the recipe and followed directions--  ah-h-h-h-h, PERFECT!!!!!!)
• 1/2 cup milk (I only had whole milk)
• 2 and 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar (mine was sort of light golden brown, and coarse)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees. (With my oven, I preheated to 360-degrees.)  
2. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.  Spray the pan AND the liners lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes.  
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.
6. Beat in the vanilla extract and almond extract.  (It's okay if the batter looks a bit grainy.)
7. Gradually add the set-aside flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed ONLY long enough to just "combine".  
8. By hand, and with a spatula, gently fold in the blueberries ONLY until evenly distributed.  Again, ... do NOT over mix!
9. Scoop the batter into the sprayed muffin liners with a cookie scoop if you have one.  This amount of batter will make 12 muffin liners very full.
10. Next, sprinkle a little Turbinado sugar evenly on the top of the muffin batter before baking.
11. Bake for "about" 30 minutes OR just until lightly golden and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
12. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.  Then, run a knife around the edge of each muffin to carefully loosen it from the pan if needed because, sometimes, the blueberries touching the edges want to stick.   
13. Transfer the muffins to a rack.  Cool completely.  
14. Eat ONE and then put the rest outta sight for a while OR they will just keeeeeeep disappearing (I say they're that good!).  

Below:  I use this kind of a container 

w/snap-on clear plastic cover to keep these 
fresh longer.  (This is a photo of "smaller" 
muffins because,when making this batch, 
I did not fill the cups as full.)

*Total credit for this main recipe belongs to: http://www.onceuponachef.com/2014/07/best-ever-blueberry-muffins.html  

Because this recipe was copyrighted, I wrote to get permission to share this recipe here. Yay!,-- this is  what I received back this morning:

On Fri, Aug 12, 2016 at 9:27 AM, JenniferSegal <jennifer@onceuponachef.com> wrote:

"Sure Doris- that would be fine.  Thanks for checking! Best, Jenn."   To that, I say "THANK YOU, Jenn!!!!"