I was so excited to leave the farmers market recently with a bundle of rhubarb. I only really started cooking with rhubarb a few years ago. It wasn’t something that my family ever really baked with. I had several recipes swirling around in my head, calculating all of the varieties of rhubarb cakes, bars, and pies I could make. After experimenting with a couple recipes that didn’t quite feel right to me, I went back to basics. I consulted my flavor thesaurus and decided to pair my rhubarb with ginger. Somewhere in my creative process I realized I could make cookies with rhubarb, and I could infuse ginger into the dough. So, this is my recipe for brown sugar rhubarb cookies with ginger. 

Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cookies

I originally decided to make rhubarb buckle, inspired by one of my favorite recipes from Salt Water Farm in Camden. Each blueberry season I think about making their blueberry buckle, which is a purple polka dot cake with fresh Maine blueberries and a thick cinnamon streusel top. It’s delicious, and I wanted to see if I could create a pink version with rhubarb. I was going to focus on the combination of rhubarb and cinnamon. Make an ice cream or creme anglaise to go with the buckle. But after baking it, the reddish pink rhubarb had faded into green. It turned out to be delicious, but I started to overthink and fall into perfectionism. I had to buy strawberry powder and dye the streusel pink/red. I could make a rhubarb strawberry syrup, or caramel. It had to be better.

Ultimately it stressed me out totally to think of recipe after recipe, all with the goal of making something strikingly unique, and pink. I took a little break from rhubarb and made homemade pasta, and one day I was scrolling through images of angel food cake. I saw one that was totally pink inside, which was a cool contrast to the orange/brown exterior. So, I dreamed of a rhubarb angel food cake swirled with a pink marble center. I decided to make it with the unused egg whites from my carbonara recipe and it tasted great, but the color was muddied. It wasn’t that exciting. So, again, I went back to the drawing board. 

Summer in Maine

When I went back to the farmers market and picked up another bundle of rhubarb, I was determined to make something pink, unique, and delicious. The lemony, jammy flavor of cooked rhubarb was fresh in my mind, and I thought back to a failed lemon cookie recipe I had made. I imagined the rhubarb with a rich, deep, brown butter cookie base. A hint of fresh ginger. Like a spring version of a wintery ginger cookie. I was so excited to make these, and the idea of them really piqued my curiosity. Which was the sign that I was on the right track.

The weather has been beautiful in Maine. Sunny and 70’s with a breeze. It feels like there are a million people here for summer, so traffic is bad. Yet, I’ve enjoyed exploring the coast lately. I got to have lunch in Portland yesterday with one of my best friends. I hadn’t seen him in a couple years, so it was incredibly uplifting and healing. Exciting. To see him in person and share good food. It was rainy for once, and we ventured down to a dock on rough waters. We settled on a bench in front of the ocean with a couple cookies in a bag. Rhubarb is one of his favorite flavors, and he loved these cookies. In fact, he said it was his new favorite cookie ever. We saw a gray heron, enjoyed catching up, and shared brown sugar rhubarb cookies. 

Brown Butter and Ginger Cookie Dough

Here’s how I made them. First I browned butter in a saucepan. I almost forgot about it actually. I’ve been struggling with my ADHD and narrowly avoided burning the butter. Thankfully, it was a perfect amber color, and I added a generous amount of fresh ginger, ground ginger, and cinnamon. I let the butter cool while I got my ingredients in order and responded to some emails. I measured out brown sugar, white sugar, and infused it with orange zest. Another great flavor pairing for rhubarb. Once the brown butter was cooled, I beat the mixture with sugar into a wet sand. Then, I added the eggs, one at a time. It turned into such a satisfying golden color. The texture of cake batter.

Next I sifted flour and baking soda with salt into the dough. I threw a bunch of chopped up rhubarb into the dough simultaneously and beat the mixture for a few seconds. The dough was perfumed with ginger and rhubarb and tasted delicious. So, I was very excited to bake them. I lined two sheet pans with parchment paper and used an ice cream scoop to shape the cookies. I feel like cookies should always be huge, right? Before baking I topped each cookie dough ball with pieces of rhubarb (for that pink/red color), sea salt, and a little sugar.

Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cookies Taste Test

They baked beautifully and filled the house with a tangy, spicy brown butter scent. The roasted rhubarb pieces reminded me of lemon, or a tart jam. Once the cookies cooled, I dove in, and ate 2 1/2. They tasted beautiful. The brown butter cookie dough is rich, spiced, and caramelized. The texture is chewy and slightly crunchy. The cracks and ripples hold the flavor of tart rhubarb, which pairs incredibly well with spices and rich cookie dough. They turned out exactly how I wanted, which is a very validating and exciting feeling. The ultimate approval was from my friend Erik, who devoured his cookie. It’s my favorite thing when I cook, to give people the food that I create. It’s so full of love and care and it makes me happy. 

So, if you want to make these brown sugar rhubarb cookies, the season is now! These are the ultimate spring cookie, with fresh rhubarb and earthiness from ginger and spices. They’re like the fresh spring counterpart to a spicy molasses cookie. I also enjoyed making this painting, because I rarely get to use red or pink. I’ve been thinking of my grid of recipes as a gallery of colors, so I’m trying to curate my recipes with color in mind. The next blog will be all about green!

If you enjoyed this recipe and my watercolor painting, you can check out 100’s of my recipe cards and art prints on Etsy. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thanks so much for reading!

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Brown Sugar Rhubarb Cookies with Ginger

A chewy, caramelized cookie base with tangy rhubarb and ginger

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookie recipes, rhubarb, rhubarb recipes

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 2 1/2 cups AP Flour
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups thick chopped rhubarb + long sliced rhubarb pieces
• 1/3 cup Demerara sugar

Instructions

• Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is bubbly, golden/amber colored and caramelized. Remove from heat and stir in fresh ginger.
• While butter cools, sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into another large bowl.
• Transfer butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with brown sugar and white sugar with a paddle attachment until combined. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
• Add the vanilla and 2 eggs, one at a time, and mix until cohesive. It should become the consistency of cake batter.
• Lastly, add the flour mixture and chopped rhubarb pieces and mix until a dough forms.
• Scoop large balls of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet with an ice cream scoop. Top with a little sea salt and Demerara sugar, as well as 2-3 slices of rhubarb.
• Bake for 16-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

• For an extra zing of ginger, add a little chopped candied ginger to your recipe. 
• These would make amazing ice cream sandwiches – freeze them and add a scoop of strawberry/vanilla/cinnamon ice cream between cookies. 
• These are best if you let them cool for a couple hours after baking.