I adore rhubarb for its tartness; that tangy zip on your tongue that leaves your mouth puckering yet desiring more. There are no shortages of ways to use tart and tangy rhubarb though it is most well known for its sweet applications. I prefer no-fuss, easy to enjoy treats like these lemon rhubarb muffins.
Strawberry and rhubarb are a natural pairing because the sweetness of the strawberries tame the tartness of the rhubarb. While delicious, I went the other route with these muffins. Lemon and rhubarb are both tart, but lemon is also bright and therefore enhances the flavor of the rhubarb.
Lemon and rhubarb may be tart but the muffins turn out sweet and moist. I use both sugar and brown sugar in the batter because using brown sugar helps to add moisture as well as sweetness.
As I stated previously, I prefer my sweets to be no-fuss, so they are fast and easy to enjoy. Therefore I make this recipe with melted butter. When you melt the butter it does not require any softening, or any special equipment like a mixer to cream the butter. Melted butter also makes the muffins a little more dense, which is fine by me because I associate dense baked goods as being rich and moist.
Finally, I use some whole grain flour to add more nutrients to these muffins. I prefer white whole wheat flour because its flavor is more subtle than regular or red whole wheat flour.
Notes for the Lemon Rhubarb Muffins recipe:
- Can I use frozen rhubarb? I have not tried it but I think it would work if you drained any excess moisture from the rhubarb first.
- Swap the crumb topping for a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and milk and/or lemon juice.
- Eggs at room temperature help them to incorporate more easily and trap more air so they help keep the muffin from being too dense. Leave the eggs on the counter for about 30 minutes before mixing them in.
- What kind of yogurt? I used non-fat Greek yogurt which helps to bind while keeping the muffins light. Full fat or 2% Greek yogurt will also work as well as regular yogurt or even sour cream.
- Do I need both baking soda and baking powder? Yes! One alone will not produce enough lift leaving your muffins flat. The baking soda also helps the muffins to brown nicely.
- Oven temperature: Starting with the oven high, then reducing the temperature helps the muffins to rise rapidly and cook through evenly.
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or more all purpose flour)
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp each: baking soda AND baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 TBS butter, melted
- Zest of 1 large lemon (a scant TBS)
- 2 room temperature eggs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 3 TBS milk
- 3 TBS fresh lemon juice (from the zested lemon)
- 2 cups diced rhubarb (¼ inch dice)
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 TBS brown sugar
- 2 TBS butter, melted
- Allow your eggs to come to room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl including: flour, white whole wheat flour (if using), sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl whisk together the melted butter and lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine. Add the yogurt, vanilla, milk, and lemon juice, whisking to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until no pockets of flour remain. The batter will be thick, do not overmix.
- To make the crumb topping use a fork to mix together the flour, brown sugar and melted butter.
- Divide the batter among 12-15 paper lined muffin cups. Spoon the crumb topping evenly over the muffins, gently pressing it down so it sticks.
- Bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 18 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before storing. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week.
This looks like an interesting combination – the muffins look yummy! I am dying to find rhubarb here in socal. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you! You might have more luck finding frozen, worth a shot!