Rhubarb Cookies with Ginger, Lime and Sesame Toffee

Every spring, rhubarb arrives with a very specific personality – tart, sharp, and bright – and the goal is always to work with that, not against it. These Rhubarb Cookies are built around the idea of never toning it down, just figuring out how to keep all that personality intact while it turns into a cookie.

Rhubarb gets used in a couple ways here, because one version of rhubarb is never enough. Some gets macerated then folded into the dough and pressed on top so it bakes into soft, jammy pockets. The rest gets cooked down into a bright jam that’s swirled through the dough. You truly get rhubarb running through every layer of these cookies.

To balance all that softness, there’s a sesame cardamom bark added on top for crunch and caramelized edges. The result is a cookie that’s chewy in the center, lightly crisp at the edges, and fully rhubarb-forward without feeling heavy or overly sweet.

How to keep rhubarb from watering down your cookies

If you’ve ever baked with rhubarb before, you know it has a tendency to be both wonderfully tart and surprisingly watery. That’s why this recipe uses it in two ways: a quick maceration and a simple jam.

Macerating is just a fancy word for tossing a fruit (or in this case, vegetable) with sugar and letting it sit for a bit. Over the next 20 to 30 minutes, while the jam and sesame bark come together, the sugar draws out a good amount of liquid from the rhubarb. You’re left with fruit that’s still tart and juicy, but not so wet that it messes with the cookie dough. That liquid gets drained away, and the rhubarb pieces get folded into the dough and pressed onto the tops of the cookies before baking.

The remaining rhubarb gets cooked down into a coconut-y jam that also gets folded right into the dough, so you still get that bright, tart flavor running all the way through.

These are simple extra steps that we’ll go over in more detail below, but they keep the cookies exactly where they should be: soft, chewy, and very rhubarb-forward in the best way.

Ingredients you’ll need for these rhubarb cookies

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but most of them show up more than once, and many are pantry staples. Once you start, it all comes together pretty simply. Here’s everything you’ll need:

For the cookie dough

• 1 cup (226g) salted butter
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (150g) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 cups and 2 tablespoons (300 grams) all-purpose flour

For the macerated rhubarb

• 1 3/4 cups (200g) rhubarb
• 2 tablespoons (30g) Turbinado sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 lime, juiced

For the rhubarb jam

• 1 3/4 cups (200g) rhubarb
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (35g) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 lime, juiced

For the sesame bark

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 3 tablespoons (25g) white sesame seeds
• Flaky salt

Ingredient substitutions

This recipe is really customizable! Here are some substitution suggestions:

• Butter: Swap for plant-based butter. No other fat substitutions are suitable here
• All-purpose flour: Can be swapped for King Arthur’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, if needed
• Dark brown sugar: Swap for light brown sugar or coconut sugar
• Lime: Can be swapped for half a lemon

Macerating the rhubarb

When it comes to the fillings for this cookie, macerating the rhubarb is definitely the easiest one! Here’s how to do it:

Slice 200 grams of rhubarb and add it to a medium bowl along with 30 grams of Turbinado sugar, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, and the zest and juice from one lime. Mix and set aside. Yup, that’s it – you just let it sit!

How to make the rhubarb jam

Thinly slice 200 grams of rhubarb and add it to the small sauté pan you browned the butter in. Add 50 grams of granulated sugar, 35 grams of coconut, and the juice from 1 lime.

Place the sauté pan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 6-9 minutes, or until you have a thick jam and can smell the toasted coconut. It will feel like the rhubarb won’t collapse, but don’t worry, it will get there. Transfer this to a small bowl.

How to make the sesame cardamom bark

Prepare a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper and set it to the side.

Add 100 grams of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of water, and 1 tablespoon of butter to the sauté pan. Place this over medium heat and give it one small mix to combine everything. Then let it bubble, untouched, for 3-5 minutes, or until you see the edges turn lightly golden.

When you see that happen, swirl the mixture and add 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds. It will turn golden quickly, so once it is the color of caramel, pour it onto the lined sheet pan. Set this aside to harden.

Assembling and baking these rhubarb cookies

1. Begin by browning 226 grams of salted butter for the cookie dough. Transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl, then pop it in the fridge to firm up. During this time is when you’ll make the rhubarb fillings and sesame bark outlined above.
2. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cooled browned butter, 150 grams of granulated sugar, 150 grams of brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix on medium for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs and mix again for a few more minutes, until the dough looks almost whipped.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 300 grams all-purpose flour. Mix until the dough is just combined.
4. Drain any excess liquid from the macerated rhubarb, reserve 1/4 of the pieces, and mix the rest into the dough.
5. Scoop out half the dough and put it in a shallow bowl. Spread half of the rhubarb jam on top of the dough. This will make it so when you scoop the cookies, the jam ripples will be at the top. Use a cookie scoop and scoop the dough into 80 gram balls. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have 16 balls. Place them on parchment-lined sheet pans. Press a few pieces of the reserved macerated rhubarb into each dough ball.
6. Chill the dough for 30 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 350°F convection, or 375°F standard.
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes. As soon as they are out of the oven, press the broken sesame bark into the divots alongside the rhubarb. Grate lime zest on top if you are feeling yourself.

Storage tips

Here’s the best way to store these cookies, based on each method:

To store the baked cookies in the fridge: These will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I like to wrap each cookie in a layer of wax paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.

To store the cookie dough in the freezer: Scoop the dough into balls, place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake straight from frozen, add a couple extra minutes to the bake time.

To store the baked cookies in the freezer: These will freeze well for up to three months. I like to wrap them with wax paper so they don’t stick to each other, then place them in a freezer gallon bag. To thaw, remove the cookies from the bag and let them sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Then they should be ready to eat!

Why is this recipe in grams?

Grams is always my preference for baking, and I hope it will be yours, too. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, not volume. One cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 grams to 160 grams, depending on how it was packed. This ends up causing some volatility and mismatched results.

I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe foolproof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe.

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

Looking for more rhubarb recipes?

And that’s it for these Rhubarb Cookies!

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