Since I am a bit of a glutton for food punishment, I have not one, not two, nor even three, but five rhubarb plants. And they are not of diminutive stature either. Two of them are the size of small cars.
The thing is, we really like rhubarb around these parts. And not just in dessert goods either, the rhubarb also gets crafted into wine, lots of crisp, dry, glorious wine.
Anyway, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb pie, rhubarb custard, and rhubarb compote are some of the most common rhubarb conglomerations crafted around here other than the gallons of vino, but yesterday I was feeling a bit creative.
Okay, and there were three teenage boys sitting on my couch playing Forza whom I knew would be peckish at some point in the evening (It's like I am psychic or something!)
So, while they were racing some tricked out Mustangs, I crafted a recipe of what I hoped was going to be rhubarb cookie gloriousness. When they moved on to COD, I had already whipped up the dough and chilled it, so by the time their team deathmatch had elapsed, there were cookies baking.
The recipe and method itself isn't too complicated. To begin with, I washed my rhubarb stalks that the hubs had brought in earlier and dried them before getting out my birthday gag gift that isn't a gag at all (The Smack Chopper) and gave the rhubarb a smack choppening of fine dicing.
Once the rhubarb was minced up (you want it chopped finely!) I also used my chopper thingy and chopped up some walnuts. I truly love that thing, even if it was supposed to be a funny present. It does make me smile, so there!
Anyway, after I prepared my ingredients, I creamed butter and the sugars together. Then I added in a couple eggs and some vanilla.
In a separate bowl I added all the dry ingredients, the flour, oats, salt, baking soda, corn starch, and cinnamon. I tossed the walnuts into the dry ingredients, whisked them a bit and set them aside for the next step.
Oh, and here is a non-pro tip: I don't keep quick oats in the house, but if I think I need them or a recipe calls for them, I just throw the amount I need of rolled oats in my food processor and give them a few pulses. Almost instant quick oats achieved!
Back on the cookie track, I mixed the dry ingredients into the wet in my trusty, not at all dusty, Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I also only mixed the ingredients together until just mixed. No one I imagine, would like a jerky-textured cookie.
Then I mixed in the chopped rhubarb and popped the dough into the fridge for a bit a of a chill.
I find when I make cookie dough with all butter that it benefits from at least a 30 minute chill time. It might not be necessary but the overall structure of the cookies seem to turn out nicer after a bit of time in the cold.
Then it was baking time! These cookies have a bit of a longer bake time than most because of the extra moisture in the rhubarb.
After spending their fifteen minutes in the oven, I removed them, placed them on a rack to cool, and then applied a maple glaze to them.
I also think cream cheese frosting would be divine on these cookies, but for this experiment I wanted to go with maple glaze, and that turned out to be a good choice because each kid ate no less than eight of the cookies. In fact, one of them said,
"I just can't quit eating these cookies, they are so addicting!
So, in the end, I think the rhubarb cookie experiment was a success and I hope you all enjoy them as much as a trio of teenage boys in North Idaho did on a rainy May evening!
Rhubarb Cookies
1 cup butter (2 sticks, room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups finely chopped rhubarbCream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
In a separate bowl, add flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and cornstarch. Give the mixture a whisk and stir the walnuts into the mixture, tossing well.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix using a stand or hand mixer until just combined. Stir in the chopped rhubarb.
Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll out TBSP sized balls of dough and place a couple of inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Glaze with Maple Glaze while they are still cooling.
Maple Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
3 TBSP milk
2 TBSP maple syrup
3/4 tsp maple flavoringMix all ingredients in a bowl (I use a glass 2 cup measuring cup) and drizzle on cooling cookies. I put a piece of wax paper under my cooling rack and drizzle the cookies while they cool!
This recipe makes 5-6 dozen cookies.
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's rhubarb juice encrusted and somewhat disgusted iPhone.
