Breakfast is better with fresh rhubarb muffins! Especially fresh muffins packed full of sweet-tart rhubarb and meaty walnuts and plenty of sour cream to keep them moist. No mixer required, so pull out a couple of bowls and you’ll quickly be on your way to a sweet breakfast treat!
I love rhubarb! And I miss it when it is out of season, so I always freeze up a few bags of rhubarb from the farmer’s market and put it away. This way I can have rhubarb treats during the winter and early spring when there is not a stalk to be found.
Just recently I was looking in my freezer and I noticed that I had one bag left of rhubarb and I realized I really should use it before it sat in there much longer. Not only does food not last forever in household freezers, but fresh rhubarb will be showing up soon and I’ll forget all about that frozen rhubarb. I considered making a rhubarb sorbet, but it’s been 20-30F here lately and I, oddly enough, wasn’t in the mood for a cold treat. I know, weird huh?
Not that cold weather stops me from buying cold treats and enjoying them by a roaring fire, but making them seems too much when I’m shivering. 🙂
So, what was I in the mood for?
Muffins! Rhubarb muffins. Yes, you probably figured that out…
Don’t know much about rhubarb? Check out my rhubarb ingredient spotlight for all the info.
My family is always asking for muffins on weekends and I am honestly not a fan of supermarket muffins. Oh, I’ll admit that I’ll eat one if it’s there and I’m hungry, but I’m always a little crabby about it. Don’t you think they tend to be heavy and strangely flavorless, or is it just me? However, I do love a properly made muffin. A properly made muffin is the perfect, little hand-held snack.
And what else do I love about these rhubarb muffins?
- crispy, cinnamon coated tops
- the flavor of walnuts all through each bite
- the tart POP of rhubarb as you bite into a piece
- great for a snack or breakfast on the go!
- freezes well for future snacks
- did I mention that they’re yummy? because they are!
If you want to freeze rhubarb, and other seasonal fruits and veggies, a vacuum sealer can come in handy. By removing most of the air and using a good, thick plastic you will see an increased freezer life for your food. I got a Foodsaver Sealing System recently and it’s doing a great job of keeping my frozen foods fresh.
After I made my Meyer Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Muffins, I really wanted to use what I learned about making big, beautiful, dome-topped muffins and try it again. Let’s review the secrets of dome-topped muffins:
- Plenty of baking powder.
- Fill those muffin wells right up to the top!
- Start your muffins at a high temperature to encourage and set the rise.
- Make a thick batter with a higher proportion of flour.
I took all those secrets and applied them to my favorite rhubarb muffin recipe, one that I’ve been making for many years, and *spoiler alert* made even better muffins. This recipe is now my favorite rhubarb muffin recipe. My previous version was tasty, but these are outstanding.
– Happy Baking, Annemarie
Rhubarb Muffins with Cinnamon and Walnuts
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, can substitute in half whole wheat
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- dash ground cloves
- 1 tsp orange zest
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp maple syrup, optional
- 8 tbsp (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Mix Ins
- 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
Topping
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then whisk together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Take the rhubarb and the walnuts and toss them in the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix them together with a few swift strokes using a large silicone spatula. Don't overmix! Stop as soon as you see no dry flour.
- Divide the batter among the muffin wells. They will be filled to the top. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle some of the topping over each muffin. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F, then reduce the heat to 375F and bake for 11-13 minutes more, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the muffins rest for 2-3 minutes in the tin then turn them out onto a cooling rack.
Notes
- This recipe goes quick if you're organized. Pull out all the ingredients and see what you need to chop, toast, and melt. I get the butter melting, then set out the walnuts on a tray to be toasted, and chop up the rhubarb while the oven is preheating. Once the rhubarb is chopped, then start measuring out everything else, and remember to pop the walnuts in the oven as soon as it's hot.
- At 425F, toast the walnuts for 3-4 minutes.
- The topping is optional. It gives them a little more sparkle and flavor but you can skip it if you wish.
- If you are using frozen rhubarb (I freeze mine to preserve it for the off season), thaw it completely before putting it in the recipe. Frozen rhubarb will throw off the cooking time.
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