Thursday, June 19, 2008

RHUBARB MUFFINS


This is ONE of my sister's rhubarb patches. She always says "it loves me!" My niece
made some very good rhubarb bread the other day from it and shared with us but I 
was just hired for a catering job at the end of the month that requires lots of muffins
for people on a tour boat. So I started looking for a good muffin recipe, hopefully
one that uses rhubarb!

My catering friend here in town recommended the book Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
to me for great breakfast items so that's where I started. The book features Bed and Breakfast
places in the Northwest and a few items from their menus. I found this recipe for Rhubarb 
Muffins in that book and were they ever delicious! Just sweet enough, very moist and the tart
of the rhubarb in every bite makes them just about perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

They contain a couple of items that I don't usually keep on hand--buttermilk and wheat 
germ. The buttermilk I know I can substitute with milk and lemon juice or vinegar, but the 
wheat germ I wasn't so sure about. I did an online search and found out I can use ground 
flax seed, which I did have thanks to my mother in law bringing lots of it with her from
Poland.

If you can get your hands on some rhubarb, try these. Maybe make them a nice weekend 
surprise for someone special to wake up to with fresh coffee brewing....



RHUBARB MUFFINS

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, diced
2 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix brown sugar and vegetable oil. Add egg, vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in rhubarb.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, wheat germ, soda, baking powder and salt together with
a whisk.

Combine the dry ingredients with the rhubarb mixture just until moistened--it is very
important with muffins that you don't overmix or they will turn out tough.

Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Now this recipe says it makes
12 muffins, but I got 16 from it filling them 2/3 full. So if you are using paper liners
make sure you have enough.

Bake in pre heated oven for approx. 20-25 minutes.

***For a sweeter muffin you can sprinkle a topping made with 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon
cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon melted butter mixed together over the muffins before putting
them in the oven.

Delicious!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They sound wonderful!! My only experience with rhubarb was so successful. It was TOUGH. Do you have to prepare the rhubarb for this recipe?

The Stricklands said...

Those muffins look so yummy! We didn't plant any rhubarb in our little garden. I may have to hunt some down. Keep those great recipes coming!

Grandma Tillie's Bakery said...

Caution--your rhubarb may not have been ripe. I have had that problem before. Also, if you cut the pieces too big they don't cook enough in the baked good and can be tough. Try again--these are great!

Mary--rhubarb is surprisingly expensive in the stores here. It is so easy to grow! If you can fins some these are worth making.

Laura ~Peach~ said...

SOB WHINE POUT! I love rhubarb... grew up with it always right there in the back yard... it does not grow down here... Pout sniffel ... I want some... the bits you find in the store here is bitter... YUCK...whine... Do you have gooseberries up there too? Drool those muffins look YUMMY!
HUGS Peach

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious and I love making muffins ~ I will check the library to see if they have this book ~ I would love to see it!
I am still waiting on the hold list for 2 other books you mentioned a while back ~ "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" and "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth" They seem to be very popular!!

It is always exciting to hear about your catering jobs ~ how fun to do one for those on a tour boat! Let us know how it goes!!

Have a great weekend!

Sharon

Grandma Tillie's Bakery said...

Laura--I feel bad that you can't get rhubarb--we love it! Next we have wild blueberries that will be ripening. The only bad part is having to watch for bears because they love them too.

Sharon--have you tried www.half.com? I have purchased many used books from them over the years for very little money. I usually try books from the library first, then order them to keep. Also www.bookmooch.com is a really neat place where you trade your used books to others and they trade theirs to you. All you pay is postage!

Kris