RHUBARB COOKIES

As you know I love rhubarb and I love cookies so why not combine them. Enjoy the satisfying flavours of autumn.

Makes 20

500g fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into ½ cm chunks

75g sugar

115g butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

Zest of 1 orange

1 ¾ cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp mixed spice

3 tsp crystallised ginger, sliced thinly

½ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely crushed

ICING

1 cup icing sugar

1-2 tsp orange juice (use orange from above)

Method

Preheat oven 180C or 160C fan bake.

Begin by cooking the rhubarb with the first measure of sugar in a medium sized pot.  Cook gently until the sugar has dissolved and the rhubarb is soft and on the verge of going mushy.  Place in a sieve and drain any excess moisture and allow to cool. You are wanting 1 cup of cooked rhubarb for the cookies.

Sift the dry ingredients and set aside.

Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and cream until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and mix to combine, add the rhubarb and orange zest and mix well.  Fold through the dry ingredients until just incorporated and place tablespoon size mounds of mixture on to greaseproof lined oven trays, allowing space for spreading.

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch.

To make the icing, mix the orange juice one teaspoon at a time into the icing sugar and mix well.  Drizzle the icing over the cookies whilst still warm so that the icing falls down the sides of the cookies.  Allow to cool.

These will keep for 2-3 days in an air tight container.