Rhubarb Cardamom Lime Muffins

Submitted by averybird

"These scrumptious muffins come from Susan Bradley at the Luna Cafe website. Note the rhubarb mixture requires half an hour to macerate. The only change I've made is to cut the original amount of streusel topping in half. I find this lesser amount perfect for 12 muffins. Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 19
• Yields: 12 muffins

ingredients

• Rhubarb Mixture

• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom (I use 3/4 tsp)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 large lime, zest of, finely grated

• Streusel Topping

• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 16 pieces

• Batter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1⁄2 cup melted butter, cooled slightly (I use olive oil) or 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
• 2⁄3 cup Greek yogurt or 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1⁄3 cup milk

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° just before baking.
2. A: For the Rhubarb Mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb, sugar, cardamom, cloves and lime zest. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let macerate for at least 30 minutes. Mixture should appear very juicy when maceration is complete.
3. B: For the Streusel Topping: In a small mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter until mixture is evenly crumbly. Set aside.
4. C: For the Batter: In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and then add sugar. Whisk thoroughly to distribute the chemical leaveners. Reserve for a moment.
5. In a different small bowl, whisk the egg briefly, and then whisk in the melted butter (or vegetable oil), yogurt, and milk.
6. Pour the liquid ingredients and the rhubarb mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir quickly and gently with a large, flexible rubber spatula just to evenly moisten. The batter should still be lumpy.
7. Lightly spray a traditional 12-unit muffin pan with vegetable spray. Divide the batter among the cups, letting the batter mound naturally. The cups should be nearly full.
8. Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of each muffin and then press it down lightly into the batter (so that it doesn’t fall off during baking).
9. Bake immediately at 400° for about 15-20 minutes or longer if needed, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (mine were ready at 15 min).