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Roasted Rhubarb Gingerbread Cut Out Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tsps ground ginger
  • 2 tsps ground cinnamon
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp rhubarb flavor extract
  • 2/3 cup puréed rhubarb About 4 rhubarb stalks. See recipe for details
  • 1/2 cup fancy molasses
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Cut the leaves off of the rhubarb stalks and rinse the stalks with water. Place stalks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar (the sugar is optional). Roast the rhubarb in the oven at for 10-15 minutes, until it is soft. Once out of the oven, place stalks in a blender and puree. Let purée cool for a few minutes before using in dough mixture.
  • Cream the butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed. (Use the paddle attachment). Mix until thoroughly incorporated - for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and mix again for a few seconds more. Over mixing the butter and sugar in this step will cause too much air to be incorporated into the dough. If you'd like a light and fluffy cookie, that's ideal, however the dough will spread more during baking; not ideal if you'd like the cookie to hold its shape.
  • Add the ground cinnamon and ginger and mix.
  • Add eggs slowly and mix. Scrape down the bowl with your spatula at least once and mix again. Add the rhubarb extract, mix, add the rhubarb purée, mix, and add the fancy molasses. Mix until just incorporated.
  • Add the flour, cover the mixer bowl loosely with a tea towel to prevent flour escaping, and mix. Remove the towel after about 30 seconds. When the dough starts to come together it clumps around the paddle attachment and peels away from the sides of the mixer. That should be the right texture. 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.
  • Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper. Place on a baking sheet and into the fridge or freezer for a minimum of 1 hour.
  • Cut out cookie shapes. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and repeat. If your dough gets too soft to work with, place in the fridge or freezer periodically to firm up again.
  • Once all cut out, put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again. They will then hold their shape better when baked.
  • Preheat your oven to 350°F or 176°C.
  • Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the edges become golden brown. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
  • Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate if you like! If you’re new to decorating cookies, I have basic cookie decorating tutorials with everything you’ll need to know to begin on my blog. Have fun!

Notes

Yield: Makes about 30-35 cookies, but it will also depend on the size of the cookie cutter and how thick you make your cookies.
*Butter - The butter needs to be soft, or room temperature. I leave mine out the night before I do my baking. If you forget, you can grate the butter on the largest hole of your box grater, so that the sugar and butter will mix together better or put the butter on a plate in the microwave for about 10-20 seconds to soften it. It should be soft to the touch, but not so soft it’s turning to liquid.
Please see blog post for more recipe tips.