Rhubarb Muffins

Is the rhubarb in your garden — with its tall, graceful, stalks and gigantic elephant-ear leaves — calling attention to itself? Is it begging to be baked into something sweet and gratifying?

Recently when Carol Barthel baked these muffins Al, her husband of 46 years, said, “These are the best rhubarb muffins I have ever eaten!”

That’s all the “endorsement” I need to hear. I look forward to trying them soon myself. CJK

Rhubarb Muffins

(Carol Barthel)

Muffins

1  1/4 cups brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

2  1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup sour milk

1  1/2 cups finely diced rhubarb

1/2 cup chopped nuts*

Topping

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins or line with paper liners.

Beat the brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla together until smooth. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder; stir in the dry ingredients and sour milk just until blended. Then add the rhubarb and nuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full.

Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the muffin batter. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed, about 23 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes before removing.

Yield: 24 muffins

A note from Carol Barthel: *I used black walnuts for this recipe because Al collects them and then cracks them with a hammer and a wire cutter. Any kind of nuts — especially pecans or walnuts — would be good in these muffins.

A note from Carol J-K: You may remember Carol’s rhubarb pie and piecrust from FFF’s rhubarb recipe collection last year. She and her husband Al, members of St. Mary Parish in Little Falls, continue to volunteer for countless organizations nearly 24/7.