Warning You Can’t Stop Eating Rhubarb Cookies
We have a prolific rhubarb patch, and I’ve made many rhubarb recipes over the years. All of them are lovely, but these rhubarb cookies? They turned out absolutely fantastic.
Rhubarb is an all-or-nothing plant: one of the first things to push up in spring, then for a while it grows like mad. During rapid growth it’s important to remove seed heads so the plant focuses energy on producing new stalks and leaves.
Each spring rhubarb appears in recipes everywhere — from martinis to ice cream to crisps, cobblers, and puddings. Stalk colors range from green to pink to red, but color isn’t a reliable indicator of sweetness or ripeness. Only the stalks are edible; the leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid and are poisonous. Never eat the leaves.
What Makes These Rhubarb Cookies So Addictive
A cookie that begins with real butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla is bound to be good — and these start by creaming a full cup of real butter. Beat the butter until it’s light and creamy.
Next add two tightly packed cups of brown sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar; both work. Beat until light and fluffy, then add two large eggs, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and vanilla. Beat until everything is well incorporated.
Now add the flour and finely diced rhubarb. The rhubarb should be chopped small, about the size of chocolate chips, so it distributes evenly through the dough. This is a good time to use those tender young stalks, though any size will work.
Once you add the rhubarb and flour the dough becomes heavy. That’s normal — the rhubarb will release moisture while baking and create the perfect texture. If the dough feels thick, don’t worry; it should be dense enough to hold the pieces of rhubarb evenly.
Use a medium cookie scoop (about two tablespoons) to form uniformly sized cookies. Place them about three inches apart on the baking sheet so they have room to spread. Baked cookies will be roughly two and a half inches across.
Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper to make removal and cleanup easy. The gridlines on some parchment papers can help space cookies, but simple parchment works well too.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 12 minutes. Ovens vary, so watch carefully near the end; you want the cookies fully baked but not overdone. They will continue to set a little after you remove them from the oven.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. You can reuse the parchment paper until the sheet is fully used.
Now To Have A Little Fun With Your Rhubarb Cookies
While these cookies are wonderful straight from the oven, an optional cream cheese frosting takes them over the top. To make it, cream room-temperature cream cheese with softened butter until light, then add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk a little at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency.
Frost the cooled cookies and decorate with sprinkles or a drizzle if you like. They are perfect for spring gatherings, potlucks, or a simple treat at home.
I shared half the batch with a young family nearby because my partner and I can’t eat everything I bake. They loved them — especially the dad, who polished off several in one sitting. These cookies are an easy, rewarding bake I’ll make again.
A Little Bit About Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a hardy perennial that can live for many years. When plants become crowded, divide the crowns and replant to maintain productivity. Dividing and replanting in spring helps renew a patch and increase harvests.
Rhubarb prefers cool seasons and well-drained soil. In many temperate regions it grows reliably in spring and early summer. If you live somewhere too warm for fresh rhubarb, frozen rhubarb is an excellent substitute. Defrost and drain any excess liquid before using.
Frozen rhubarb is widely available in many grocery stores and works well in baked goods, sauces, and jams. Check ingredient lists to ensure frozen packages contain only rhubarb if you prefer no added sugars or preservatives.
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD
Rhubarb Cookies
This recipe yields sweet, chewy cookies with bits of tangy rhubarb. Serve them plain or top with the optional cream cheese frosting.
20 minutes
12 minutes
32 minutes
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups finely diced rhubarb
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 8-ounce block of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Milk as needed to reach desired spreading consistency
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Dice rhubarb finely, about the size of chocolate chips, and set aside.
- Cream butter, then add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat until well incorporated.
- Add flour and diced rhubarb, stirring until the flour is fully incorporated and the rhubarb is evenly distributed. The dough will be heavy — this is normal.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to form cookies and space them about three inches apart. Baked cookies will be about 2 1/2 inches across.
- Bake about 12 minutes. Watch them toward the end of the baking time; they should be golden brown.
- When removed from the oven, the cookies will continue to bake slightly. Cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
- For cream cheese frosting: beat cream cheese and butter until light, then add vanilla and powdered sugar. Add milk a little at a time to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Frost the cookies and add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
The cream cheese frosting recipe makes enough to frost all the cookies.
If you have rhubarb — or can find some — try other rhubarb favorites like rhubarb custard pie, a quick rhubarb dump cake, or strawberry-rhubarb jam. There are many recipes that showcase rhubarb’s tangy brightness; search your favorite recipe sources for more ideas.
If you enjoyed this rhubarb cookie recipe, please share it with friends and family. I post easy, family-friendly recipes regularly and always appreciate hearing how a bake turned out for you.
If you enjoyed this post, leaving a review or comment is a big help and is much appreciated.
Love, GB (Betty Streff)