These rhubarb oatmeal cookies are sweet and tangy! With beautiful bright pink rhubarb, this is a must-make in the rhubarb season (spring through late summer). Soft and chewy these are like a rhubarb crisp in cookie form!
Why You Will Love This Recipe:
- Seasonal Fruit: Such an awesome way to enjoy fresh grown rhubarb! If you have more rhubarb in your garden try this recipe for rhubarb muffins and these super fun rhubarb fruit leather roll ups!
- Breakfast, dessert or snack: These cookies I wanted to be a traditional oatmeal cookie meets rhubarb crisp! Enjoy them for a healthy snack, simple dessert, or on the go breakfast.
- Healthy + Dietary Needs Friendly: They are perfect for special dietary needs as they are gluten free (using oat flour as the base), dairy free, and free of highly processed sugar. You don't need to be df, or gf to love these cookies!
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Ingredients
Below you will see the ingredients you need for these rhubarb cookies all measured in bowls, (the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt are together in one bowl). Look in the recipe card at the very bottom of this page for the exact quantities.
- Rhubarb: for this recipe, we need small pieces of rhubarb, I found the best way to do this was to throw the rhubarb into a blender or food processor and pulse until it is small chunks. While I was testing the recipe I also found this distributed the fruit in the cookie the best.
- Oats: I tested this recipe with both rolled oats and quick oats. I decided I like rolled oats better (texture-wise) but they both work! For this recipe, you grind half the oats into flour in a blender to hold the cookies together.
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar: This makes a sweet lovely flavour bringing it all together with the cinnamon.
- Cinnamon: A needed ingredient to nicely compliment the rhubarb!
- Baking Soda: To help the cookies rise.
- Salt: This enhances the taste of the rhubarb.
- Egg: In baking, eggs are used for moisture, texture, and rise. We only use one in this recipe or else the cookies are too cakey.
- Oil: You can use any kind of oil you like. I tested the recipe with both coconut oil and olive oil. You can also use melted butter.
Baking with Oats and Making Oat Flour
The base of these cookies is oats, and ground-up oats (oat flour). You can use rolled oats or quick oats. The recipe will lead you through grinding the oats to make your own flour, you will need a blender or food processor.
Is oat flour gluten free? To ensure oat flour is gluten free use gluten free oats. Oats do not contain gluten however they are often grown close to wheat, or processed in a facility where they come in contact with gluten.
If you would like to try another recipe with ground up oats as the base (oat flour) try these sweet fruity blackberry muffins!
Detailed Instructions
Follow the step by step photos to make these easy tangy rhubarb cookies.
Start by making half of the oats into a thin powder called oat flour. Place 1 cup oats into the blender (or food processor) and blend on high until everything is finely ground.
In a medium bowl mix together the ground up oats, the rest of the other oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
To make the rhubarb into small pieces, place medium chunks of rhubarb into the blender (or food processor) and pulse until there are only bite size pieces.
In a large mixing bowl place the sugar, oil, water, and egg, mix well.
Add the dry oat mixture and the rhubarb to the mixing bowl with the sugar in it. Stir well. Let it sit for 5 minutes to absorb some liquid.
Use a cookie scoop or a large tablespoon to drop cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes. They will still look a little wet or moist but puffy when they are done.
Hint: Leave the cookies on the baking pan for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven, this lets the cookies continue to solidify and prevents them from breaking when removing them from the pan.
My Experience
I tested this recipe over 5 times to get the right texture. At first they were gummy, then they were crumbly from too much oat flour, then we got them perfect a lovely soft cookie. This results from one egg, and the right the sugar to oil to flour ratio!
Storage and Freezing
These cookies can be stored in a container or bag for three days at room temperature. If they aren't eaten within three days I recommend placing them in the fridge to last longer due to the moisture in the cookies from the rhubarb.
They can also be frozen after baking. Place them in an airtight bag or container, freeze and enjoy within 6 months. To thaw, leave them at room temperature for a couple of hours.
FAQ
There are many yummy tart recipes to make with rhubarb! If I have a lot of it I make rhuabarb fruit leather roll ups! But I also like making rhubarb cookies and rhubarb muffins. It can be stewed and eaten with ice cream, it can be made into pie, or into jam!
Rhubarb is rich in vitamin K supporting bone density, it's also high in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. It is high in antioxidants protecting the body from free radicals! Rhubarb supports collagen production enhancing your skin.
Other baked snacks
Looking for other recipes to bake and enjoy? Try these:
Like this recipe for rhubarb oatmeal cookies? Give this recipe a star rating, and let me know what you think down below the recipe! I love hearing what you thought of my recipes!
Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats or quick oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅔ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon oil I used coconut or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ⅓ cup rhubarb chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Grind oats + dry ingredients: Start by placing 1 cup of the oats (half of them) into a blender or food processor. Start the machine on low and turn the power to high until the oats grind into a flour like substance. Pour the oat flour into a medium bowl. Add the rest of the oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir until combine.
- Make the rhubarb smaller: Place chunks of rhubarb into the food processor or blender, pulse until they become small bite sized pieces. You want it finely diced.
- Mix everything: In a large mixing bowl place the sugar, egg, oil, and water, mix well. Add the oat mixture to the sugar mixture, along with the small pieces of rhubarb. Mix well and let them sit for 5 minutes. Using a cookie scoop or a large tablespoon drop cookies onto a baking pan that is covered with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Bake: Put the cookies in the oven at 375 for 8-10 minutes, they will look puffy and a moist but not super wet. Let them sit on the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
- Storage: Keep cookies in a container for 3 days at room temperature, if you don’t eat them within those days place them in the fridge to stay fresh longer.
Rachel B
So yummy!
The first batch I made was a little crumbly, so I added a banana to the next batch which worked out so good!
I’ll definitely make these again!
danikavanderpyl
Thanks for the insight Rachel! Glad you enjoyed these. I do find if they are baked too long they aren't as moist.
Elizabeth
These cookies turned out so good - they looked exactly as described after 10 min in the oven (slightly puffed up). For those curious about add-ins, I added 1/4 cup of chopped pecans and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips... truly heavenly! Thanks for a great - and unique - cookie recipe!
Danika Vanderpyl
Thanks for letting us know you made these cookies and enjoyed them! I love the pecans addition, brilliant.