Rhubarb may be a tart vegetable that looks like celery, but this particular spring and summertime produce can easily be used in the most delectable desserts. One of our favorite rhubarb recipes is this rhubarb cobbler, comprising a sugary bubbling rhubarb base topped with a biscuit-like dough. Not only does it use up all that rhubarb, but it is also an easily versatile cobbler recipe that allows for you to add in any other fruit you might have on hand, like strawberries or raspberries.
It takes minutes to mix together, and after less than an hour in the oven, you’ll have a bubbling, warm dessert ready to serve with scoops of cold vanilla ice cream. It’s the summertime dessert of your dreams!
Rhubarb Cobbler Ingredients
- Fresh rhubarb: This cobbler recipe calls for fresh rhubarb, chopped into small pieces. Use red rhubarb stalks for a sweeter taste. Green rhubarb stalks will have a tart, bitter-like taste, but they can still be used in this recipe if you don’t like overly sweet desserts.
- Sugar: Sugar is used to help cut down the sweetness of the tart rhubarb.
Topping:
- Flour: Flour is used to create the bulk of the topping in this rhubarb cobbler recipe.
- Sugar: Feel free to use coarse sparkling sugar as a topping, if that’s what you like.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is used as the leavening agent to help create a biscuit-like cobbler topping for this dessert.
- Cold butter: Similar to making biscuits, cold butter is cut into the flour mixture to help create a flaky, crisp topping.
- Milk: The 2% milk is used as the added fat in the topping, along with the cold butter. Feel free to use half-and-half for a richer texture.
- Egg: Egg is also used to help give texture and heartiness to the cobbler topping.
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional): While not absolutely essential to the recipe, finishing with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream is highly recommended.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the rhubarb
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combined the rhubarb, sugar and salt. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray or butter, then transfer the rhubarb mixture to the dish. Dot the top with small cubes of butter.
Step 2: Mix the topping
In another bowl, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. Cut in the cold butter until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Stir it into the flour mixture until the dough is just moistened. Drop tablespoons of the biscuit-like dough mixture on top of the prepared rhubarb.
Step 3: Combine and bake
Sprinkle the top of the cobbler topping with the last 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake the rhubarb cobbler until the topping is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve the cobbler warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
Rhubarb Cobbler Variations
- Mix in other fruit: Even when mixed with sugar, rhubarb can have more of a tart taste compared with other sweet fruits typically used in a cobbler. If you want to cut down the tartness, you can use less rhubarb and add in other fruit instead, such as strawberries or raspberries.
- Shape the topping into biscuits: The topping for this rhubarb cobbler closely resembles biscuit dough and can easily be shaped into eight biscuits for scooping and serving cobbler to your guests.
- Serve with homemade ice cream: You can’t go wrong with a container of store-bought vanilla to serve with this rhubarb cobbler, but if you really want to take it up a notch, we recommend making a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream yourself!
How to Store Rhubarb Cobbler
Rhubarb cobbler will last in the refrigerator for up to three days. Be sure to store it properly with an airtight sealing on your pan, or in an airtight container. To reheat the cobbler, simply place it back in the oven at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes (or until the rhubarb is bubbling again) for the best results.
Can you freeze uncooked rhubarb cobbler?
Plan on prepping a rhubarb cobbler to freeze for later? You can absolutely freeze the pan, but on one condition. Rhubarb tends to get more fibrous over time, so it’s best to cook the bottom layer of your cobbler first before topping it with the biscuit-like dough (after it has fully cooled, of course), cover it, then place it in the freezer. That way, the sugary rhubarb will be sweet and pleasant to consume, versus a chewy and bitter tasting rhubarb when uncooked.
Rhubarb Cobbler Tips
Why is my rhubarb cobbler soggy?
It’s common for a cobbler or crisp such as this recipe to have a soupy or jammy texture, especially when it’s still warm. The juices will be thinner as soon as they come out of the oven. However, as the rhubarb cobbler sets, the texture will likely thicken. If you want your rhubarb to have an even thicker consistency, you can stir in a teaspoon of cornstarch before adding the rhubarb mixture to the baking sheet to help thicken up the texture.
What is the difference between a rhubarb cobbler and a crisp?
A rhubarb cobbler will have a topping similar to biscuit dough that can even be shaped into biscuits, if you so desire. A crisp is typically made with oats to create a crispier granola-like topping instead.
How do you reduce the rhubarb tartness?
Fresh rhubarb can be rather tart, depending on when you purchase it. Red rhubarb stalks tend to be the sweetest, but green stalks can also work in this recipe, although they’re slightly more tart in taste. To reduce the tartness, soak the rhubarb in water first. Adding other sweeter fruits, like strawberries, can also help with cutting down on some of the tartness in this rhubarb cobbler.
