Warning You Can’t Stop Eating Rhubarb Cookies
We have an abundant rhubarb patch, and over the years I’ve tried many rhubarb recipes. They’ve all been good, but these rhubarb cookies are exceptional—sweet, tender, and just the right balance of chewy and tangy.
Rhubarb is one of those all-or-nothing garden plants: it emerges early in spring and grows rapidly. When it’s actively producing, remove seed heads promptly so the plant focuses on new stalks and leaves. The stalks are the only edible part—never eat the leaves, which contain toxic levels of oxalic acid.
Each spring rhubarb finds its way into everything from cocktails to crisps, cobblers, and puddings. Stalk color can vary from green to pink to red, but color doesn’t reliably indicate sweetness or ripeness. For these cookies, any fresh stalks will do—young, tender stalks work especially well when finely diced.
What Makes These Rhubarb Cookies So Addictive
These cookies begin with a classic base of butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Start by creaming a full cup of unsalted butter until smooth. Beat in two packed cups of brown sugar—light or dark is fine depending on your taste—until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Next add two large eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and two teaspoons of cinnamon. I always add vanilla for depth of flavor. Beat everything together until well combined and slightly airy.
Fold in 3½ cups of all-purpose flour, then gently stir in two cups of finely diced rhubarb. Chop the rhubarb small—about the size of chocolate chips—so it distributes evenly through the dough. The dough will be thick once the flour and rhubarb are added; that’s normal. As the cookies bake, the rhubarb releases moisture that keeps the cookie tender and flavorful.
Use a medium cookie scoop (about two tablespoons) to portion the dough into uniformly sized rounds. Place scoops on parchment-lined baking sheets spaced about three inches apart; the baked cookies should be roughly 2½ inches across.
Bake at 375°F for about 12 minutes, watching carefully toward the end so they don’t overbrown—ovens vary. When you remove them, the cookies will continue to finish baking on the sheet for a few minutes. Let them rest on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
These cookies are delicious plain, but a cream cheese frosting takes them over the top. Beat an 8-ounce block of cream cheese with ½ cup softened butter until light, then add about 4 cups powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add milk a little at a time to reach the consistency you want for spreading.
Frost the cooled cookies and, if you like, decorate with sprinkles or a drizzle of extra frosting. The frosting recipe yields enough to cover all the cookies in the batch.
I shared half my batch with a young family nearby—Papa devoured most of his share before I left! These are a keeper and one I’ll make again every rhubarb season.
A Little Bit About Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a hardy perennial that can live for decades. When plants become crowded, divide and replant the crowns to maintain productivity. Mine includes a piece of an old clump that originally came from a farm over a century ago, and I plan to divide and expand the patch next spring.
Rhubarb prefers cool climates and well-drained soil; in the U.S., it thrives in the northern states, the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, and the Midwest. If you live somewhere too warm to grow it, frozen rhubarb is widely available—defrost and drain excess moisture before using.
Printable Recipe Card
Rhubarb Cookies
Sweet, chewy cookies with bits of tangy rhubarb. Serve plain or with 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 cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Milk as needed for spreading consistency
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line 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.
- Fold in flour and diced rhubarb until evenly distributed. The dough will be thick; this is normal.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion dough, spacing cookies about three inches apart. Baked cookies will be about 2½ inches across.
- Bake about 12 minutes, watching toward the end until golden brown.
- Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
- For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until light, add vanilla and powdered sugar, and thin with milk as needed. Spread on cooled cookies and add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
The cream cheese frosting recipe makes enough to frost the entire batch.
If you have rhubarb or can buy it frozen, these cookies are a delicious way to celebrate the season. Frozen rhubarb works well—just thaw and drain before using. Enjoy baking!
Love GB (Betty Streff)