Preparation

• Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. Line the dish with parchment paper and spray it again.
• In a large bowl, mix the sliced strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar. Let this mixture sit so the fruits can release their juices while you prepare the crust and streusel.
• In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups of flour with the cold butter cut into five chunks, cream cheese, salt, and the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. Pulse the ingredients until they form a moist, crumbly texture without any big chunks of butter.
• Set aside 1 2/3 cups of this crumbly mix for the streusel topping.
• To the remaining mixture in the food processor, add the extra 1/4 cup of flour, egg, baking powder, and vanilla. Pulse just until the dough begins to form.
• Press this dough evenly into the prepared pan; damp hands can help with this. Bake for 10 minutes or until it slightly puffs up.
• Strain the fruit mixture to remove excess liquid. Spread the fruit evenly over the baked crust. Then, add the reserved streusel topping on top of the fruit and sprinkle with some extra turbinado sugar. Bake again for 40 to 50 minutes until the topping turns golden brown.
• Allow the bars to cool for 20 minutes before using the parchment to lift them out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.