Rhubarb in brownies? That’s just weird. Which is why, of course I had to print out the recipe. I love weird.
My daughter and I both have rhubarb plants (I have three). She hides rhubarb stalks in my purse whenever I leave her house because we always have an overabundance of rhubarb.
Rhubarb was one of the first plants I bought for my first garden when my babies were little. It flourished, even when my hubby accidentally roto-tilled it one year. The plant took that beating in stride and grew back the following spring even better than before.
When we sold our house, I dug up the rhubarb and brought it with me. We moved to the forest and even there the rhubarb flourished. When we moved to be closer to the grandkids, I dug it up again and separated it. I now have three plants in my yard.
My husband grew up with rhubarb. It was one of those plants that grew well in the rather dry state he lived in. He used to pick a stalk, dip each bite in sugar, and chew it. The thing with rhubarb is that it is quite bitter, but after adding some sugar, it turns into luscious goodness. My Norwegian dad used to make rhubarb pudding which was basically just rhubarb, sugar and a bit of water stewed together until it thickened. He would eat it with cream.
I have collected a ton of rhubarb recipes over the years. I’ve made rhubarb pies, crisps, muffins, pancakes, breads, galettes, and cakes, but brownies? No, because as I said before, that is just weird.
Since my freezer is still loaded with bags of diced rhubarb and it’s time to harvest the new crop, this was the perfect time to try making rhubarb brownies. It turns out that they aren’t weird at all, they are delicious! The rhubarb melds perfectly with the chocolate and gives the brownies a fresh taste in every bite.
Here’s the recipe:
PC: Ann Kirsten
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup rhubarb diced small
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup nuts (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 x 8” pan with parchment paper and spray the paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together. I did this in my mixer for 2 minutes until it was light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together. Add the diced rhubarb and stir until coated. Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and gently stir only until blended.
Stir in the chocolate chips and the nuts.
Pour the dough into your prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
PC: Ann Kirsten
Let them cool and cut into squares! Chill them first if you want a cleaner cut.
PC: Ann Kirsten
Yummy!
Notes: We here at AMD argue over whether nuts belong in baked goods. We are split 50/50. I happen to love the crunch they add, but if you’re not a fan, feel free to leave them out.
I did not defrost my rhubarb before using it. I had it diced bigger for pies, but it was easy to run a knife over it to dice it smaller while it was frozen. I had to cook mine for a few minutes longer because of the frozen rhubarb. Watch it carefully though. You do not want overdone brownies! I stored the leftovers in the refrigerator and they were moist and chewy even after four days. If you do a search for rhubarb on allmomdoes.com you will find more yummy recipes.
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that count darkness as light, and light as darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20
“Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.” Proverbs 14:10
PIN THIS!
Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
