Rhubarb Muffins with Cardamom Crunch Topping

The awakening of Spring 2013 was the slowest one ever. In a “normal” year, by the time the calendar was flipped to May, we would have already been enjoying lilacs in bloom. The yard’s dreary winter residue would have been raked clean, and the garden turned over, waiting for seeds to be sewn.
And we would have already been enjoying a few hearty stalks of rhubarb….
In my attempt to try to keep up with the calendar of fresh spring produce that my mind is accustomed to, I succumbed to the fact that rhubarb from our own yard was still going to be a ways off. Yes, I bought some from the store. Because I really needed some fresh rhubarb muffins!
These Rhubarb Muffins with Cardamom Crunch Topping were just the cure for this spring starved soul. They are tender, yet substantial. Sweet, yet tart. And that super crunchy topping, with raw sugar mixed in, simply put these over the top. With just a touch of cardamom, they are intoxicatingly fragrant and perfectly spiced. A most fitting way to ease on into the shyness of spring.
Rhubarb Muffins with Cardamom Crunch Topping
They are tender, yet substantial. Sweet, yet tart. And that super crunchy topping, with raw sugar mixed in, simply put these over the top.
Ingredients
- for the rhubarb muffins:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 c. milk
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil (I like canola)
- 1.5 c. flour
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1.5 c. chopped fresh rhubarb
- for the cardamom crunch topping:
- 1/3 c. raw sugar
- 1/4 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 T. butter, at room temperature (do not melt!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Mix egg, milk, and oil in small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. Do not overmix. Fold in rhubarb.
- Spoon into muffin tin and let rest a few minutes while you prepare the topping.
- In a small bowl, mix all topping ingredients, using a fork or rigid pastry blender to combine. You are aiming for some pea-size pieces of crunchy topping. Sprinkle mixture evenly over muffin batter.
- Place pan in oven and bake until golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins are best the day they are baked, as that is when the topping is the crunchiest.
Notes
from a farmgirl’s dabbles
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
I can’t wait to make these this weekend to bring to my in-laws! We picked some rhubarb from their lake-house and I will bake it into these muffins to bring some of the lake to their other house :-)
I love your food styling. There is such fluidity in it. I hope I’ll that to that point someday.
Thank you so much, it’s all a work in progress!