One of my daughters is going through training to become a Stephen Minister with our church. This weekend is another marathon training retreat. All the trainees have generously agreed to provide snacks and treats for the group throughout the training sessions.
This morning it's my daughter's turn. As she is a full-time student and doesn't even get home from school until 3:30, and the retreat began at 5 PM Friday afternoon, she really didn't have any time to prepare a snack for her time.
So, being the awesome mom that I am, I made this batch of some favorite spring muffins of ours -- Rhubarb Crumb Muffins.
These muffins are always a hit in our house. I usually bake a double batch to go with Mother's Day brunch. And any leftovers get popped into the freezer for quick breakfasts on the run.
Here's the recipe:
Rhubarb Crumb Muffins (12 to 15 muffins)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 large stalk rhubarb, finely diced (about 1 cup of fine dices)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/3 cup oil
1 cup milk
crumb topping
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (or 375 F convection)
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add rhubarb dices and orange zest and toss well.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg. Blend in extract, oil and milk.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients, just until combined (don't over mix).
- Spoon into prepared muffin tin.
- Top each with a spoonful of crumb topping (recipe below).
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until light golden and the muffins spring back when pressed.
Crumb Topping
In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup flour, pinch salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons soft butter. Cut together with a fork and knife. Blend in 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of water (just enough to form crumbs).
As a note, you can substitute half whole wheat flour for half of the white. I often do this and they still get gobbled up!
Enjoy your bite of spring!
