Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Hi! Just dropping in on this Saturday to share these delightful strawberry rhubarb muffins. In case, you're still trying to figure out how to show that special dad in your life how much you love and appreciate them, here's your answer--Tender, light little cakes loaded with that classic combo of sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb and a crunchy, almost caramelized, sugary top. What guy wouldn't be happy to wake up to a platter of these tomorrow morning?!! And you'll be happy too 'cause you can whip up the batter the night before, leave it in the fridge and then just bake the muffins in the morning so they're especially fresh. Remember, it's the gifts from the heart or should I say kitchen that really count! Happy Father's Day!!
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Makes 14-16 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sliced strawberries (doesn't have to be exact)
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb (doesn't have to be exact)
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling on top
The Recipe
1. Make sure the rack is in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350º and lightly spray the top of the muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray (this helps to keep the cooked muffins from sticking to the pan so that they come out neatly) Now line at least one muffin tin with paper liners. The original recipe says it only makes 12 but I always manage to get more--maybe my tins aren't standard. Spray and line another tin with a few more paper liners if necessary--you can do this as you go.
2. Into a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and powder and salt together. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and yolk well. Slowly whisk in the sugar, melted butter, creme fraiche (or sour cream) and vanilla until very well combined. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to fold together gently, just until the ingredients are combined. Next fold in the strawberries and rhubarb. It's ok if the batter is sort of lumpy as long as you can't see any traces of flour anymore. At this point you can transfer the batter to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 day and bake when ready. If you decide to do this, take the batter out of the fridge 30 minutes before you're ready to bake so that it can come to room temperature.
3. If baking right now, fill the muffin cups almost to overflowing, right up to the tops of the rim and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and spring back when pressed in the middle with your finger. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let sit for about 20 minutes. Then, remove the muffins from the pan and let finish cooling on the rack. Muffins last for about 3 days at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang. I subbed in strawberries for the raspberries and added the demerara sugar because we like a crunchy top. Feel free to play around with different fruits. It's a very versatile muffin recipe.
