Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Cookies

4.50 from 4 votes

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Cookies

Strawberry Rhubarb Cookies are summer's favorite pie in cookie form! Thick & chewy sugar cookies are filled with a quick stovetop strawberry rhubarb filling and topped with swirls of toasted swiss meringue. They're also delicious topped with whipped cream! It's all the flavor of a strawberry rhubarb pie without the fuss.

Prep Time45

Cook Time24

Total Time1 9

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Rhubarb, Strawberry Rhubarb, Rhubarb Pie

Servings: to 20 cookies

Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

8 ounces strawberries, rinsed & quartered, with a handful or two reserved If using frozen, do not thaw - 227 grams
6 ounces rhubarb, rinsed & chopped into 1-inch pieces If using frozen, do not thaw - 170 grams
1 tbsp salted butter 14 grams
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar 105 grams (you can add 1 extra tbsp of sugar, to taste, if the sauce is too tart for you)
1 and 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 and 1/2 tsp water

For the Cookies:

14 and 1/2 tbsp salted butter, melted 206 grams
1 cup granulated sugar 210 grams
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed Light is fine, too. 110 grams
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed 390 grams
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Meringue

2 large egg whites, at room temperature Separate the eggs while cold, then let the whites come to room temperature.
1/2 cup granulated sugar 105 grams
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract I like to use vanilla bean paste for visible flecks of vanilla!

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling: Add all filling ingredients except the corn starch and reserved handful of strawberry pieces to a large saucepan. Dissolve corn starch in water and add this. Stir everything together well, cover, and let cook for about 7-10 minutes. No need to stir the mixture during this time! This is a super chill recipe. When the fruit is mostly broken down but some chunks remain, it's done. Stir together the remaining 1 tsp of corn starch & 1 tsp of water, and add to the simmering sauce (it must be at an intense simmer to activate!). Cook, stirring, for 1 minute more or until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the reserved handful of strawberry chunks to keep some texture in the sauce. Let cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until it completely cools before using.
Make-Ahead Tip: This can be done up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.
8 ounces strawberries, rinsed & quartered, with a handful or two reserved, 6 ounces rhubarb, rinsed & chopped into 1-inch pieces, 1 tbsp salted butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract , 1/2 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 1 and 1/2 tsp corn starch, 1 and 1/2 tsp water
Make the Cookie Dough: In a large bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugars. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla, until well combined and smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated into a smooth dough (a hand mixer helps here, as this takes some elbow grease!).
Make-Ahead Tip: Dough can be balled and frozen for 2 months or so before using. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
14 and 1/2 tbsp salted butter, melted, 1 cup granulated sugar , 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed , 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract , 2 large eggs, at room temperature , 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed , 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Scoop & Chill the Dough: Scoop the dough into balls 55 grams in size, with a large cookie scoop, and place in an airtight container to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, in the freezer for 1 hour, or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Bake the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 365° F. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place about 5 cookies on each of your prepared baking sheets, with room for them to spread. Keep remaining pans of dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
Bake for 9-10 minutes. The edges of the cookies should look and feel set when tapped with a fingertip, and the centers will be puffy and look just a tad underdone. They will set up as they cool. Immediately place a round cutter around the outside of each cookie and swirl the cookie within it to "scoot" them into perfect circles. This also helps them appear thicker!
Then, press an indent into the centers with the back of a tablespoon. Let cool a few more minutes on the cookie sheet, then, once they feel sturdy enough, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Meringue: Once the cookies are just about cool, and your filling has had time to chill in the fridge, begin on the meringue. This must be used as soon as you make it! Read these directions thouroughly before you begin to ensure success.
Add an inch or so of water to a small/medium saucepan. Make sure your bowl doesn't sit in the water. Test it by setting the bowl on the pot, over the water, lifting off and seeing if the bottom is wet. If you have a stand mixer, you can use it's metal bowl.
In your selected bowl, whisk together room temperature egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Set the bowl over the pot of water. Turn the heat to low, then cook, whisking constantly until an instant thermometer holds steady at 175℉. (Mine was registering between 175℉ and 180℉ depending on where I stuck the thermometer without hitting the bottom of the bowl. Keep going until you don't see any reading below 175 ℉.) This will take about 8 minutes, but go by temp, not by time.
Remove from the heat immediately, and add the vanilla.
Hand Mixer: Beat with a hand mixer on high speed for 2-3 minutes. We're looking for a thick mixture with stiff peaks. It will look thick and smooth, but then it will move past smooth and look like it's starting to clump a bit - this is the thickness/stiffness we want.
Stand Mixer: Mix with the whisk attachment on high speed (I like to keep it between 8-9, not at 10) for 2-4 minutes. The mixture will grow up the sides of the bowl, and is ready when it seems to have stopped growing, and is balling up inside the whisk attachment (it will almost look a tad clumpy, as opposed to smooth & silky). When you lift the whisk attachment out and flip it so the bottom is pointing up, the meringue should stand stiffly up, with only the slightest bit of the tip top strand of meringue flipping over.
Immediately fill a piping bag fitted with desired tip (I used a Wilton 6B) with the meringue.
2 large egg whites, at room temperature , 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 1/8 tsp salt, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Assemble Cookies: Immediately assemble your cookies. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of fruit filling into the center of each cookie. Pipe a dollop of meringue onto the tops of the cookies, then toast with a kitchen torch. (Special tools are linked just above the recipe card in the blog post.)
Serve & Store: Enjoy immediately once assembled! Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They must be refrigerated due to the meringue (stability) and fresh fruit filling.

Notes

Runny Sauce: If you go to use your chilled sauce and it's too runny, never fear! You can fix it by adding it back to a pan or pot on the stovetop. Bring to a heavy simmer and add an additional 1-2 tsp corn starch dissolved in equal parts water, then cook for 1-2 minutes more until it thickens a bit. Cool again before using.

Nutrition