Roasted Rhubarb Lady’s Kiss Cookies (baci di dama) ~ the roasted rhubarb buttercream is sweet and tangy, and the almond cookies are light as air…I’m pretty sure they serve these cookies in heaven.
These gorgeous spring cookies are a TVFGI exclusive…an inspired mash-up of a Yotam Ottolenghi roasted rhubarb buttercream and a classic Italian baci di dama cookie. The cookies are made with almond flour and puff up in the oven for a crisp, light texture not unlike a macaron. They have a lovely almondy flavor and the rhubarb buttercream is nice and tart.
Baci di dama, or lady’s kiss cookies, are named because they supposedly resemble a beautiful lady’s lips in a smooching position. Not sure about that, but they are pretty!
Rhubarb is such an enchanting ingredient, I’ve used it in everything from salad dressing to popsicles, and I never tire of that tart berry flavor and vivid color, nothing else comes close!
There’s something extra special about a homemade sandwich cookie, isn’t there? A few simple extra steps really make a difference, and these delectable little two bite cookies are definitely conversation pieces…I mean, roasted rhubarb buttercream is pretty special, and no one needs to know how easy it was.
You’ll only need one stalk of rhubarb for the buttercream filling for these cookies. Pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes to roast, and once it has cooled you can blitz it into a buttercream with a little softened butter, powdered sugar, and a squeeze of lemon. Where has this stuff been all my life??
For the cookies I use a small 1 1/4 inch cookie scoop to portion out little balls of dough. The tray goes in the freezer for a few minutes before baking so the cookies bake up nice and puffed and don’t spread much. When the cookies have cooled, just drop a dollop of frosting on the flat side of one cookie, and pop another one on top. Then just try to resist.
TIPS for the perfect roasted rhubarb baci di dama ~
- Cream your butter and sugar until truly light and fluffy ~ this incorporates air into the dough so they will rise and be crisp on the outside and light an airy inside.
- Use a very small scoop for the cookies, if they are too big they will make an out-sized sandwich cookie that won’t be as appealing. A measuring teaspoon amount of dough is right. I use a small 1 1/4 inch cookie scoop
- Don’t skip the dough chilling step.
- Depending on your oven, your pan, and your dough, you may get a little spreading in your cookies. Don’t worry, they’ll still taste amazing, just don’t over bake, you’re going for a crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside texture.
*The roasted rhubarb icing is adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s SWEET, and the baci di dama recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart
Roasted Rhubarb Lady’s Kiss Cookies (baci di dama)
Ingredients
rhubarb filling
- 1 stalk rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch slices.
- 1 1/2 Tbsp soft unsalted butter
- squeeze of lemon juice
- 2-3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
cookies
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and put the rhubarb on it, in a single layer. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Let the fruit cool, then scrape into the bowl of a small food processor along with the butter and lemon juice, and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Process in the sugar, a cup at a time, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally, and let the machine go for a couple of minutes. If your frosting is too thick, add a touch of milk or more lemon juice, and if it's too thin, add a touch more sugar. Cover and chill, the frosting will thicken up as it chills. You can do this a day ahead.
- To make the cookies, beat the soft butter and sugar on medium high in a stand mixer for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. This step is important because it will incorporate air into the dough to help the cookies rise. Beat in the extracts.
- Add the flours and mix until the dough starts to come together. Turn out onto a surface and bring the dough together with your hands, kneading into a soft dough.
- Use a small 1 1/4 inch cookie scoop, or a measuring teaspoon, to scoop out small amounts of dough ~ roll into balls and put them in the freezer until hard, about 15-20 minutes.
- Put the frozen dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake the cookies until they are risen and just beginning to turn golden, about 14-15 minutes. Don't wait until they are brown or they will be over baked. The size of your cookies will determine the baking time, so do a test cookie or two to figure that out. Let cool on a rack before filling.
- To fill, put a dollop of frosting on the flat side of one cookie, and top with another.
Make it your own ~
- If you don’t like rhubarb, sandwich your cookies with any frosting you prefer, including plain old Nutella.
- You can use jam instead of roasted rhubarb, start with a tablespoon or two of your favorite and make the buttercream as directed.
- To make these gluten free, substitute rice flour for the all purpose flour.
- You can use hazelnut flour instead of the almond flour.
don’t forget to pin these roasted rhubarb lady’s kiss cookies
O….M……G! These cookies are amazing. They should be called, “How TO Make Friends!” My co-workers went crazy and I was a hero! Thank you! Plus I finally found a cookie that I don’t need to eat the whole batch! One is Devine heaven!!
Hi Sue
What a delightful idea to move winter along to spring. I have no access to fresh rhubarb at this time of season, can you tell me if I can use frozen rhubara and how much approx. to equal a stalk.
I love making your recipes and am trying your Dark Chocolate Espresso Chip cookies also for Valentine’s day. Yum!!!
Thanks @ bunch for your help…
Hi Cynthia, I would guess about 1/2 cup of the frozen rhubarb might work.
Great recipe!! I have a question, in the list for cookies it says 1/2 cup butter or 1 stick. Is one stick not a 1/4 cup of butter? In Canada our butter is sold in pounds I just to be accurate. Thanks for the help.
In the US, one ‘stick’ of butter is 1/2 cup, or 1/4 of a pound. That’s 8 tablespoons, 4 ounces, and 113 grams ~ hope that helps!
These look fabulous! I’m interested in making these for my daughter’s wedding in June. Do they freeze well?
Thank you!
Hi Michelle ~ here’s what I would do, I would make the cookies and freeze them, and then make the frosting and fill them a day or so before the wedding. I know that’s probably not ideal, but filled cookies don’t freeze particularly well. Congrats on your daughter’s wedding!
Thanks so much! I will likely do that. So looking forward to trying these.
So pretty, Sue! Love that blush pink filling!
Oh wow, pinning these puppies for later! They look phenomenal:)
These are brilliant, what a delicious, creative, beautiful idea! Can’t wait to see the first local rhubarb popping up here!
I have a rhubarb patch in my NH garden, but is u set snow now or should I say still.
I will try these. Can I use regular wheat flour and nor almond flour?
I believe the almond flour is critical for these cookies, Martha, but you can also use another nut flour if you like. If you don’t want any nut flour, I would suggest making a simple shortbread cookie instead.
I love anything with rhubarb and that pink color makes me swoon! These are gorgeous! I need to go buy a stalk (or two!)