Rhubarb gets me into a frenzy. Every year it’s the same: those pretty, slender stalks that bear my two favorite colours only visit our vegetable patches for a short while and before you know it, they’ve gone. So I panic, buy loads, try to make the most of them, but I just end up making lots of rhubarb crisp.
But not this year, because I’ve started expanding my arsenal of rhubarb recipes. Since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day I tried making rhubarb granola, which was a great success and inspired me to make these muffins. The rhubarb, roasted in coconut sugar, softens and sweetens but retains a sharpness that perfectly complements the sweet, moist texture of the muffins. Granola replaces the traditional streusel topping to make these muffins the perfect weekend baking treat.
Don’t be scared by the oil in this recipe – 1/2 cup divided over 9 muffins isn’t so bad. If you really do want to make this recipe low-fat, substitute the same amount of fruit puree such as apple or banana for the oil. If you don’t want to use maple syrup (or don’t have any), use 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and add an extra splash of milk to thin out the batter if it gets too lumpy.
Makes 9 muffins
Granola topping
1/2 cup (40g) oats
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp mixed seeds (e.g. sunflower, pumpkin)
1 tbsp canola (or vegetable) oil
Muffins
2 stalks of rhubarb
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 + 1/2 cups (225g) spelt flour
1/2 cup (40g) oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 (60ml) maple syrup
1/2 cup (125ml) canola/vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125ml) non-dairy milk
2 tbsp ground flaxseed + water
1. Firstly, pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Slice the rhubarb in 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces. Toss the rhubarb and coconut sugar together in a roasting dish and roast 20 minutes while you prepare the muffin batter and granola topping.
2. For the granola topping, simply combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.
3. Whisk together the ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside to get while you gel on with the muffin batter.
4. Combine the spelt flour, oats, ground ginger and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Fold in the maple syrup, oil, non-dairy milk and gelled flaxseed and water mixture. The batter should be thick and smooth.
5. If you haven’t already, remove the rhubarb from the oven. Drain any excess juices and fold the softened pieces of rhubarb into the muffin batter.
6. Pour the batter into 9 large muffin molds. Cover generously with the granola topping.
7. Lower the oven temperature to 340ºF (170ºC). Bake the muffins for 23-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and crisp and a skewer comes out of the muffins clean. Cool on a wire rack before enjoying still slightly warm.
What’s your favorite way to eat rhubarb? Leave me your recommendations in the comments below :)
Love and cookies,
