Whole Wheat Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins
You know when you walk into the market on a cold spring day and you are just wishing that somewhere that the next season of produce just leaps into your basket, well... this happened to me yesterday. I had been dreaming of spring recipes, and thinking I cannot wait for strawberries and rhubarbs again. Oh the things you can do with the two of them together!
Now, it's not prime strawberry season, but the prices have started to fall to reasonable, so I've been snacking on them as a treat. Rhubarb however I got a little crazy about. If I had been using a cart instead of a hand-held basket in the market, I might have run someone over to get to the gorgeous stalks of pinky green.
This isn't my first foray into strawberry muffins. I have been experimenting with them for a while, trying some different versions here and there. I think I have finally found a base that is heavy enough to stand against the strawberry, and light/sweet enough not to overpower them with whole-wheaty-ness.
If you have ever baked with berries before, you know you have to eat these quickly. If you know anyone that loves strawberries and breakfast treats, that won't be a problem. If you have leftovers make sure they are sealed tight and for best results cut in half and toast the next day. I currently have some leftover ricotta from a polenta recipe, so I suspect tomorrow morning's breakfast will be a toasted muffin with a dab of ricotta and a slight drizzle of honey... and then I will go to the gym (yeah right).
And before we get into this recipe... can we say OH THE LIGHT! Geeze, between some trees growing in my light at my last apartment, and the winter I was so not-interested in taking photos, it was unpleasant even with good additional lighting. I am adoring the light in this place, and even the little sparkles of light from the shades adds something wonderful and real, which is something I was hating about the artificial lighting from winter.
Whole Wheat Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb (2 medium stalks)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- ½ vanilla bean scraped
- 1 ½ cups chopped strawberries
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by first turning on your oven to 350F. Then clean and chop your rhubarb and strawberries. Place the rhubarb in a small baking pan or on some alumninum foil with 1 tsp of sugar sprinkled over top.
When the oven is heated put the rhubarb in for the time it takes to prep the batter.(you will be turning the oven up later)
Next you want to cream your butter, oil and sugar together. You can do this in seconds with a hand mixer, or get a little elbow grease in there and it only takes a minute of whisking. I choose the latter!
In a new bowl mix your dry ingredients, the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Put aside for just a moment.
Add the egg, yogurt, and scraped vanilla bean paste into your wet ingredient bowl and mix well. Once incorporated slowly add in your dry ingredients.
Your batter is almost complete! It's time to remove the rhubarb from the oven. They should be softened but not gooey. This makes them about the same texture as the strawberries. As you remove the rhubarb immediately turn your oven up to 400F.
Pour the strawberries and rhubarb right into the bowl and fold together. Your batter will be pretty thick.
Prep your pan, either using silicone liners or foil ones. Paper ones never work, (am I right?!) Dollop about 3-4 tablespoons of the batter into each foil.
OPTIONAL: Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar, or cinnamon sugar mix on top. You won't be dissapointed.
Place in oven and bake for 12-14 mins. These are hard to tell on whether they are done or not with a poke test, so I suggest cooking on the longer side.
Enjoy!