Rhubarb Muffins

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Soft, fluffy rhubarb muffins brimming with fresh rhubarb and iced with a pretty-in-pink frosting are simple, easy and oh so delicious. This one bowl recipe for Rhubarb Muffins with Rhubarb Frosting is sweet and tart and perfect for breakfast.

I admit that I was biased against rhubarb.

For the first twelve years of my existence I lived life based on a set of basic truths. The first was that rhubarb was basically a pink celery stalk and since celery is 95% water and 100% not good I was boycotting it for all eternity. The second was that I did not tolerate a bonafide vegetable disguising itself as a fruit in any form—not jam, not pie and especially not a freaking muffin.

But after a fateful afternoon with my friend, Erin, I found myself questioning everything I thought about rhubarb, the baking arts and the space-time continuum. Here’s what I remember first and foremost, walking into her kitchen and then being stopped in my tracks by a mouthwatering aroma. I knew the smell of baked sugar as soon as it hit my nose and it made me smile in anticipation.

That smile was soon wiped from my face when Erin’s mom offered me one of her freshly baked muffins. Check that; a rhubarb muffin. The nerve! I flat out refused but Mrs. McMahon insisted. I shook my head so vigorously that I got vertigo for a second. She held a muffin in front of my face in defiance. In short, we were at a baked good impasse.

Alas, she was the victor.

I caved to be polite, vowing to take just one teeny-tiny bite. A few crumbs for the sake of my friendship with Erin then it would all be over. I prepared for the worst, said a small prayer then peeled back the muffin liner. At last, it was now-or-never time. I sank my metal-braced teeth into the muffin and swear the next thing I knew I’d eaten the rest of the batch.

They were that amazing.

Let me put it this way: if the witch from Hansel and Gretel was baking rhubarb muffins in her corner of the spooky forest she wouldn’t even have had to coax me into her oven. I would’ve hopped in voluntarily then died happy next to my new favorite muffins.

Trust me, they are so delectable they border on bewitching.

Fast forward a few decades and I’m still under the spell of this recipe. Unfortunately, finding fresh cut rhubarb in my corner of Florida is about as easy as finding Waldo so when I do manage to get my hands on those pretty pink stalks I always buy in bulk and freeze for year-round muffin emergencies. Or any time I feel like eating my feelings.

Before I share the infamous recipe that made me a rhubarb muffin junkie, here are a few tricks and tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips and Tricks

The egg needs to be at room temperature before making muffins. If you’ve forgotten to take your egg out of the refrigerator ahead of time, speed up the process by placing it in a bowl of warm water. Don’t use hot water; we want to warm the egg, not hatch it.

Buttermilk also needs to be at room temperature. Shake the carton well before using.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a sour milk substitution by stirring one teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into one cup of whole milk and letting it set for five minutes before use.

Stock you pantry with unbleached flour and use it for this rhubarb muffin recipe. Bleach is great for whitening tile grout, but it’s not so great for baked goods.

Choose rhubarb that is a bright pink in color with fresh, non-wilted leaves. Since we’re only using the stalks for this recipe, trim and trash the leaves. Next, snap off the ends and wash the stalks. Finally, cut the stalks in half lengthwise and dice into ¼ inch pieces.

On average, one pound of stalks will yield one and a half cups of diced rhubarb.

If you do not have fresh rhubarb then simply swap out with frozen. A few grocery stores carry it in the frozen fruit section so fill up your cart when you can find it. Fully thaw frozen stalks and pat excess moisture with a paper towel before baking.

Baking powder and baking soda usually expire long before you realize. Be sure to use fresh of both whenever you’re baking.

Preparation Tips and Tricks

Do not overmix the muffin batter. Mixing until just combined will produce the ideal, rounded tops on your rhubarb muffins.

If you want to skip the rhubarb cream cheese frosting then consider adding a crumble topping. Just combine a tablespoon of melted butter, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle on muffins prior to baking.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and dry.

Rhubarb cream cheese frosting can be made in advance and frozen in an airtight bag up to 3 months.

If your frosting isn’t pink enough from the rhubarb alone then you can bump up the color with a drop or two of red food coloring. I opted for an all-natural color enhancer then added two teaspoons of seedless raspberry jam.

How to Store Rhubarb Muffins

Frosting-free rhubarb muffins can be stored at room temperature up to 3 days.

Store cream cheese frosted muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Rhubarb muffins can be frozen up to 3 months if stored in an airtight container or freezer bag.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Rhubarb Muffins. Please leave a comment and a rating at the bottom of this blog post when you try it for yourself. Don’t forget to tag @whiskingwolf on social media so I can drool over your pics on Instagram.

Finally, if you’re looking for rhubarb recipes, check out this delicious Rhubarb Crisp. Made with farm stand rhubarb, hearty oats, brown sugar and cinnamon, this cast iron skillet recipe is simple and scrumptious.