Such a different cut out cookie flavor, isn’t it! I wanted to try something completely different, and wanted to use in-season rhubarb.

I was inspired by a lovely lady working at the check-out counter at my local grocery store, who told me about a gingerbread rhubarb cake she had made on the weekend. (The amount of butter, sugar, eggs etc. I buy generally prompt baking conversations in the grocery line). I thought, mmmm, I could make gingerbread rhubarb cookies… Oh, and paired with a cinnamon royal icing! So, here they are, I hope you love them too!

The dough for this cookie is one of the smoothest, most velvety textures I’ve worked with. In short, for a cookie dough, dreamy. You’ll see in the recipe that I roasted the rhubarb first and then pureed it, so I think the added moisture gives the dough such a lovely smoothness.

The flavor notes are spicy, with a definite gingerbread overtone and rhubarb undertone. You could adjust the flavours by adding more rhubarb flavor extract and/or lessening the ground ginger and ground cinnamon spices. I know it may feel like cheating somehow by using the extract, but to make the rhubarb flavor more intense you’d need more of the rhubarb purée, and then the cut out cookie might not keep its shape well. It’s a bit of a balancing act.

The cookies kept their shape so perfectly, they did not spread one iota. If yours do, check out this post on keeping your cookie edges crisp.

You’ll notice at the stage where you add the molasses, eggs, extract and rhubarb puree, that the mixture is quite liquid, more so than the average cut out cookie dough. Don’t worry, it will all come together once you’ve added the flour, you haven’t done anything wrong!

Speaking of the flour, please feel free to add more if the dough seems sticky. This can happen if your butter is too soft, if it’s really humid outside, if you’ve mis-measured etc. The way to test if the dough is done is by observing it at the very last mixing stage. The dough should peel away from the sides of the mixer and clump around the paddle attachment. You can also test the dough by pinching it between your thumb and index finger. If it’s soft but not sticky, it’s just right. If it’s too sticky when you pinch it between your fingers, add flour, ¼ cup at a time, and mix until you’re happy with the texture.

If you don’t want to use these as cut out or rollout cookies, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mixture, it will make the cookies rise or spread more. The texture will be lighter and fluffier. (Please excuse the lighting in the photo below).

Thank you to Mom for knitting the pink and white potholders or cloths pictured in many of these photos. I won’t be able to use them to clean, they’re so pretty!

Thank you also to my friend and neighbour Jo-Ann, who let me have rhubarb from her garden! I felt a bit Little-House-on-the-Prairie-ish the morning I walked back from her place with a huge bunch of rhubarb stalks in hand. (And loved it!).

Cinnamon Royal Icing Recipe coming soon! If you’d like to try it with my regular royal icing recipe, here it is.

On to the recipe, below! Let me know if you have any questions, happy to help.

Please feel free to drop me a line below if you have questions or comments. You can also find me on on Facebook,  Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

xo,

Marian