Strawberry Rhubarb Cookie Compotes

It is strawberry & rhubarb season here in New England…one of our very favorite times of year.  When you bite into your first freshly picked berry you appreciate the seasonality of the fruit…and if you are like me it makes you cringe that you even (once in a while) cave in and purchase the 2 packages for 1 price at the market in the dead of winter just to get a glimmer of your strawberry fix only to be severely disappointed!

To make up for the numerous months we can’t get good berries I have been purchasing quart after quart containers at our farmer’s markets.

Last week they also had rhubarb.  Rhubarb, to me, is an antique fruit.  It seems like all the antique gardens I have visited all contain rhubarb and you often see it in early hand written cook books.  For that reason alone I love it.

I had planned on making a pie but then developed a strong urge for chocolate chip cookies and thought maybe I’d make a strawberry rhubarb cookie instead.  The truth is, what I love most about chocolate chip cookies is the dough- not even the chocolate bits.

I began with a traditional Tollhouse Cookie recipe and then added about a cup of oats.  You can use any cookie dough that you like, I just happen to love the recipe for Tollhouse dough!

I gave the strawberries and rhubarb a rough chop into small bite sized pieces.

I mixed the fruit into the dough.

The fruit will make the dough a little bit wet.

While I had planned to make cookies, I also wanted to try to make a small compote, almost a cookie bowl or cookie brownie.  I have a small obsession with antique tin molds and went rummaging through my large box to find one I liked.

The cookies baked as directed on the back of the tollhouse package, the compote took nearly an hour though.

I have to say that these were so summery! They were sweet and savory at the same time.  The rhubarb provided that bite that is a little tangy.

To serve we simply added a dollop of whipped cream and a whole berry to the top.  It would also be very yummy right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top!