Description
These Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins are delightfully moist and bursting with sweet-tart fruit flavor, topped with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar crumble. Perfect for breakfast or a snack, they combine juicy rhubarb and fresh strawberries folded into a tender muffin batter with a buttery streusel topping.
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and sliced
Fruit Filling
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1¼ cups rhubarb, chopped
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Batter
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with cupcake liners.
- Make the Streusel Topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cold sliced butter in a food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Prepare the Fruit: In a medium bowl, toss the sliced strawberries and chopped rhubarb with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the batter to allow the fruit to release some juices.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In another medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a hand mixer, beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Then mix in the sour cream, fresh orange juice, canola oil, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gently fold the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients by hand. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are okay to keep your muffins tender.
- Fold in Fruit: Gently fold the sugared strawberry and rhubarb mixture into the batter, spreading the fruit evenly throughout.
- Fill Muffin Cups: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin liners. For full, rounded tops, fill cups nearly to the top; for flatter, even tops, fill about two-thirds full.
- Add Streusel Topping: Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the prepared streusel crumb mixture over each filled muffin cup. You can add more topping if you prefer flat-topped muffins.
- Bake: Place the muffin pan on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve: Best enjoyed warm, these muffins taste fantastic with a pat of creamy butter or your favorite fruit spread.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins light and fluffy.
- Cold butter is essential for the streusel topping to create a crumbly texture.
- Rhubarb can be tart; tossing it with sugar helps balance the flavor.
- Room temperature eggs help the batter come together evenly.
- Use fresh orange juice for a natural citrus brightness; bottled juice may alter the flavor.
- Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snack, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
