Honey Rhubarb Muffins

Rhubarb season is in full swing and I couldn't be happier. Last week I posted a refreshing rhubarb juice and this week I couldn't resist posting another rhubarb treat. One of my most popular recipes is my Grandma's Blueberry Muffin recipe so I thought, why not make a rhubarb version?

I changed the blueberry muffin recipe slightly to make these muffins a little bolder. I increased the measurements on all the ingredients to make the muffins larger. I also replaced the vegetable oil with butter and replaced half the granulated sugar with honey to give the batter a stronger flavor. 

The honey in this recipe not only adds flavor to these muffins — it also gives them a moist, pound cake-like texture. To avoid excess moisture that could make the muffin go bad quickly, I recommend storing these muffins in the fridge (if you don't eat them all in one day). 

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 30 minutes

Makes: 12 standard-size muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups white spelt flour or all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 1/2 cup honey

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk of choice

• 2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

• More granulated sugar for topping

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, honey, eggs and milk. 

2. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour the liquid mixture in the center of the well. Stir with a large spoon until the mixture begins to come together. Add the rhubarb to the bowl and stir until the rhubarb is fully incorporated and the mixture is just combined. 

3. Divide the batter evenly between 12 greased standard-size muffin wells. Sprinkle each muffin top with granulated sugar. Place the muffins in the oven and let bake for 5 minutes at 400 F. Then, turn the oven down to 350 F. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown around the edges and pass the toothpick test. Eat em' up!

Sustainability tips

• Flour: I like to buy King Arthur brand flour because King Arthur Flour is a B Corp, which means that they're held to a high environmental and social standard. Alternatively, you could seek out a farmer who grows and mills flour locally. Buying locally can help connect you to your local food system and cut back on the miles your food has to travel. 

• Sugar: I like to buy coconut sugar because it's easy to find fair trade varieties, but fair trade granulated sugar is another great option here. Read all about it in my sustainable cane sugars post!

• Egg: Local eggs are really easy to find if you look for them. Buying locally means your eggs won't have to travel as far, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

• Milk and butter: Since cows contribute a lot to climate change, I like to buy my dairy products from B Corps, which are held to really high environmental and social standards. You could also use vegan milk options, like almond, cashew or oat milk. 

• Rhubarb: Your best option here is to grow the rhubarb yourself, but any local rhubarb is also a great option. Also, be sure to make this recipe during spring because that's when rhubarb is in season. This way, your rhubarb won't contribute as much to GHG emissions during travel.