Use this rhubarb cookies recipe as a tasty and different way to use up all that fresh rhubarb from the garden.
Whether you like your cookies simple and plain, frosted, or sandwiched around creamy filling – this easy recipe has you covered.
Studded with bright pink bits of rhubarb these pretty cookies are sure to become a family favorite!
For Rhubarb Season & Beyond
Once the season gets going for those of us in the north, we all scramble for rhubarb recipes, don’t we?
There’s only so much pie we can eat, only so much stewed rhubarb or rhubarb jam we need to preserve.
That’s where this amazing cookie recipe comes in handy. For folks that don’t like to make pie or simply want something different, this comes together quickly and easily. Plus, cookies are always easy to share at parties, potlucks, bake sales, and more.
Don’t forget, rhubarb freezes so easily. Simply put the diced rhubarb into freezer containers in 1 cup portions. Then use those portions to bake cookies later in the year.
Helpful Hints
This is a pretty straightforward recipe, nothing fancy like all the best cookies but there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Dice the rhubarb stalks into small chunks. Slices, even thin slices, are likely to feel to big in the final cookies. The easiest way to do this is to slice the stalks into long quarters and then chop into small pieces.
I used salted butter in the original recipe, only because that’s generally what I have on hand. If you use unsalted butter add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients.
These are a rich cookie, I highly suggest keeping them small.
Plain or Frosted
These are good cookies when baked and left plain. Really they’re quite perfect, rich, tart, sweet, a bit of crunch and great with coffee or tea.
However, if you’d like to make them a bit fancier or sweeter or more decadent, add the frosting.
The caramel frosting is a wonderful complement but a plain vanilla icing or cream cheese frosting would be great too, go with what you prefer.
Use homemade or store bought caramel sauce to make the frosting in the recipe below.
I love a sandwich cookie, it always feels so special, like two desserts in one. If you do keep the cookies small, these are an ideal cookie with which to make little dessert sandwiches.
A simple smear of frosting across the tops of the cookies works too if you want more cookies from a single batch.
Optional Additions
The cookies are soft and delicious just as the recipe is written but if you’d like to change it up a bit, you certainly can:
Add up to 1 cup chocolate or white chocolate chips for an even bigger treat.
A cup of finely chopped nuts would also be delicious.
Substitute half of the rhubarb for some diced strawberries for the always wonderful strawberry rhubarb combination.
How to Serve
Make some of each type cookie, frosted, plain, sandwiched and serve them as a type of platter at summer parties or potlucks.
These plain cookies would work well as a kind of ice cream sandwich if you wanted to go that route.
A cookie on top of a scoop of ice cream in a bowl is also a very fun summer treat.
Serve any of the cookies simply with favorite summer beverages like iced tea or coffee and of course you can never go wrong with milk and cookies.
How to Store
The plain cookies will keep for up to about 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Store the frosted cookies in the refrigerator, where they should keep for about 5 days.
For longer term storage, store cookies in the freezer. Simply place cookies in plastic bags or other freezer containers. Use up frozen cookies within 6 months for best flavor.
Rhubarb Cookie Recipe
Make these delicious cookies from those first ruby red stalks after a long winter for a tart and sweet springtime treat!
Ingredients
Rhubarb Cookie Batter
- 1 1/2 Cups Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Cup Salted Butter, softened
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar, lightly packed
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Rhubarb, diced
Caramel Frosting
- 1/4 Cup Salted Butter, softened
- 2 Tablespoons Caramel Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Make the Cookie
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until combined.
- Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until almost completely combined.
- Fold the chopped rhubarb into the dough and mix until completely combined.
- Drop the cookies by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes. The edges of the cookies will be golden brown and cookies set.
- Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting, if desired.
Make the Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and caramel sauce beating until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the cream and beat until combined.
- Spread the frosting onto cooled cookies as desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
40Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 84Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 66mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g
We try our best but cannot guarantee that nutrition information is 100% accurate.