If the empty shelves in the baking aisle of the otherwise fairly well-stocked grocery store are anything to go by right now, there are lots of people dealing with the current global pandemic in same way I am: with lots of baking therapy. These whole wheat muffins stuffed with tart rhubarb, spiced with cinnamon, and topped with crunchy sugar are an extremely comforting thing to bake and eat, so they were the first thing I made when sh*t started to get real a few weeks ago. They are quick and easy to mix up, don’t require any special pantry ingredients, and unlike most muffins, which are best eaten the day they are baked and then decline from there, these are excellent two, three, even four days after baking, thanks to their nubbly whole grain ingredients which help keep them moist and fresh. They are also a great way to use up that bag of slightly freezer burned rhubarb from last summer that you discovered at the back of the freezer when doing a pandemic inventory of all the edible things in your kitchen.
I adapted these slightly from Smitten Kitchen, who makes them with tart green apple, which would also be delicious. As would frozen blueberries or raspberries or whatever other frozen or fresh fruit you have around at the moment. My point is, they are very versatile, so feel free to use what you’ve got and then please enjoy a warm, cozy muffin while you #staythef*ckhome.
Whole Wheat Rhubarb & Spice Muffins
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Makes 12 large muffins. Click here for a printable PDF of the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 450˚F (425˚F convection) and grease and line a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
1 cup whole wheat flour (whole spelt flour would also work)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
Cream together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. You could do this with an electric mixer, but I prefer to do it by hand – it’s a good way to work out some anxiety!
Beat in 1 egg until combined, then switch to a whisk and whisk in 1 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup plain yogurt + 1/2 cup milk, or 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup and let it sit for a few minutes). Don’t worry if it looks slightly curdled.
With a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until just barely combined, then add 2 cups fresh or frozen chopped rhubarb (or other fruit) and fold until evenly distributed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin – the cups will be quite full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a good pinch of large grained brown sugar (about 2 tbsp total).
Bake in the preheated 450˚F (425˚convection) oven for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan, turn the heat down to 400˚F (375˚F convection) and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the tins on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around each muffin to release from the tin and turn out onto the rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
These muffins will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
