What is Rhubarb?
Would you believe us if we told you rhubarb—with its candy-colored, celery-like stalks—was a member of the buckwheat family? Because it is. And, come late winter through early summer (aka, now!), you’ll spy the stalks at local farmers’ markets, or maybe even in your own garden. But wait—is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable, you ask? Botanically, it’s a vegetable, though it’s most often eaten with a sweetener (usually sugar) as a fruit. As for the rhubarb taste, it’s kind of like a cross between an underripe Granny Smith apple and a Sour Patch Kid—super tart and just a teensy bit bitter. BUT! Cook rhubarb down with a little bit of sugar and top with a biscuit crust? You pretty much get our favorite rhubarb recipe, ever—the rhubarb cobbler.
What Is a Cobbler?
Imagine if a fruit pie and a biscuity shortcake made a baby. Yup, it’s that good. Now, add some fresh mint and top with an easy cream-and-sugar dough that bakes into a perfectly crunchy golden-brown cap. Tell us more about that cobbler crust recipe, you say? It’s basically biscuit heaven. Just don’t skimp on the butter or cream—now is not the time.
What Makes Our Easy Cobbler the Best Rhubarb Cobbler, Ever?
The crust, for starters. And when it comes to the rhubarb, get as close to garden-grown as you can, whether that be from a farmers’ market or your own backyard. Oh, and our homemade cobbler bakes in 45 minutes, tops.
How To Make a Cobbler:
The old-fashioned rhubarb cobbler recipe of our grandmas’ gardening days wasn’t even a recipe at all—it was simply cobbled together. A literal cobbler, if you will. These days, we much prefer the preciseness of exact measurements, making sure our easy rhubarb cobbler tastes equally delicious each and every time you bake it.
- Clean and cut rhubarb, toss with sugar and fresh mint, and bake until bubbly.
- Pull out your food processor, pulse together the cream-and-sugar biscuit dough, and form into 12 shaggy discs.
- Remove rhubarb from the oven (leave the oven on!), drop biscuits on top, sprinkle with grainy sugar, and bake until browned.
- Serve with ice cream. Because, obvi.
Tools You’ll Need to Make Rhubarb Cobbler with Mint:
- A sharp knife. Because that rhubarb isn’t going to chop itself.
- A 9x13 baking dish. Or, two 8x8s if your leftover lasagna is hogging the big pan.
- A food processor. Unless you’re really taking your baking back to the olden days, in which case, you do you!
Other Favorite Rhubarb Recipes We Love:
Rhubarb plant in overdrive? We got you. Here are three more recipes to help make the most of that rhubarb bush overgrowing the garden:
- Nothing washes down dinner—or helps you cook it—like a rhubarb mint margarita with jalapeno tequila.
- The only thing better than a grilled cheese sandwich? Our roasted rhubarb and chevre grilled cheese.
- Chicken salad sandwich with rhubarb-raspberry preserves is basically the perfect excuse to put jam on anything.
Best Cobbler You’ve Ever Tasted? Yup.
Our cobbler recipe have you wishing it was fresh rhubarb season all year long? Snap a pic of your own crispy-topped cobbler and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Just save a spoonful for us!
