This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Rhubarb Cookies get rave reviews every single time someone tries them. The rhubarb keeps them extra soft and gives a fun flavor twist to old-fashioned oatmeal cookies.
We still have fresh rhubarb available locally so I’m excited to bring you a few more rhubarb recipes, starting with these rhubarb cookies.
When I first heard of rhubarb cookies, I was a bit skeptical, but if you are an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie fan, you will love these rhubarb cookies. The rhubarb keeps them extra soft and moist.
I chose to frost some of them with cream cheese frosting and others I left plain and sprinkled with coarse sugar right after they came out of the oven for a pretty sparkle.
Some of my testers loved the frosting version and the extra sweetness it gave and others preferred the old-fashioned unfrosted the best.
Rhubarb Cookies
These are very similar to traditional oatmeal cookies. The only extra ingredient you need is rhubarb. You’ll dice it small and then stir it in at the end.
You can even use frozen rhubarb, just be sure to thaw and drain it completely before using it in the cookies.
How To Make Rhubarb Cookies
You’ll begin by making sure your butter and eggs are room temperature. Then cream together the butter and sugar, beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and last gently fold in the rhubarb.
I chill my cookie dough for about 30 minutes before baking. The humidity of the room, the protein content of your all-purpose flour, and how cold the butter is are all factors that affect how much the cookies will spread in the oven.
I find chilling the dough for about 30 minutes is about the perfect length of time for a soft, pillowy cookie.
I recommend doing a test cookie first and then if it spreads a bit too much, chill the dough a bit longer.
Also, always use room temperature pans to bake on. If you place your cookie dough balls on a warm cookie sheet, they will spread more in the oven.
Variations on Rhubarb Cookies
Here are some flavor variations you can make to this cookie recipe to make the perfect rhubarb cookie for you.
Turn this recipe into lemon rhubarb cookies by adding the zest of a lemon to the batter with the eggs.
Substitute half of the oatmeal in the recipe for shredded coconut to make coconut rhubarb cookies.
Add 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans in place of 1/2 cup of oatmeal for a rhubarb nut cookie. What is your perfect rhubarb cookie recipe? Let me know in the comments.
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Recipes
Rhubarb season is a favorite around here. I have a whole collection of other old-fashioned rhubarb recipes to make next. Be sure to check them out below.
- Rhubarb Bars
- Rhubarb Coffee Cake
- Rhubarb Crunch
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Rhubarb Sauce
- Old Fashioned Rhubarb Custard Pie
- Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce
- Apple Rhubarb Crisp
If you make these rhubarb cookies, let me know in the comments and leave me a review on the recipe. I love hearing from you when you make my recipes.
Rhubarb Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups rhubarb finely diced (see note below about using frozen rhubarb)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting (if desired)
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 – 3 tablespoons of milk as needed.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Gently stir in the rhubarb.
- Drop dough by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Let cool on the tray for 2 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting Directions
- To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the cream cheese and the butter until combined and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add milk as needed to get a spreadable consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 5/7/19 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/1/21}
Made the rhubarb cookies with fresh rhubarb from my garden. I gave them to a friend for his birthday, he loved them. Had some left over, some with cream cheese some plain, they are amazing either way. This recipe will be printed and in my cookbook. Thank you for Oshawa, Ontario
Thank you for the note, Carole. Hearing this found a permanent place in your cookbook made my day!
One teaspoon seems small for a scoop. How big should my scoops be?
Thanks for the catch, Brooke! It should be about a tablespoon per cookie.
Made today with fresh rhubarb from my garden. Turned out great!
Jan – Thank you for sharing.
These are a fantastic use of rhubarb & so delicious!
I made a half recipe, swapped 1/2 of the oatmeal for walnuts & sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar, when they were still warm.
To “bake,” I spooned tablespoons onto a paper plate & microwaved them 1 minute 30 seconds. I let them sit on the plate for a few minutes to cool.
Shirley – Sounds delicious. Glad you are enjoying the recipe.
I made them but used special butter that were great.
Amber – That is fantastic! Thank you for letting me know.
This recipe is a keeper. I made a double batch and shared with many friends and neighbors, and everyone enjoyed them. I’ll definitely add walnuts next time, and make it a bigger cookie that I gently flatten a bit as these didn’t spread (I didn’t refrigerate the dough either). This will be a recipe I keep in my rotation for sure.
Gina – That is so great to hear!
Turned out great. Could use less baking soda. Why 2 tsp?
I also increased cinnamon to 1 tsp.
I’m glad you liked the bars, Connie. Feel free to tweak the recipe to your tastes next time. Happy baking!
Love the cookies. I made today for our VFW Auxiliary bake sale. I too would add more cinnamon and rhubarb. I was expecting a flatter cookie so will flatten some of them next time but I do like the pillowy softness too. Instead of the cream cheese frosting, I melted white chips and drizzled over the top of the cookies. Nice touch along with sugar crystals.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Linda!
Love the taste. But I wonder why my cookies got soggy the next day… did I not bake them long enough? They were golden brown and just perfect out of the oven. It was only after I stored them (many hours of cooling off later) the next day that it was noticed that they were soggy almost as if they weren’t baked at all! I used fresh rhubarb and not frozen.
Hi Alley, the rhubarb does add a good bit of moisture. The humidity of the air will affect them, as will storing them tightly covered.
My boyfriend and I mixed them up last night. I had cut up the rhubarb earlier. We put them in the refrigerator overnight and I baked them this morning. No time for icing and he is Diabetic so I did not sprinkle any coarse sugar on top. He loved them. They did not flatten out while baking. One of the reviews mentioned pushing them down before baking as hers did not flatten either… Fine as they are… Wonderful recipe.
I’m glad you like the cookies.