Seeing Red – Rhubarb Brown Butter Muffins

I love love love this time of year. Everyday something new blooms and overnight it seems as though everything has grown at least 5-inches. Each morning I wake up and fully expect to harvest fruit and veggies. But that’s putting the cart before the horse.

In the meantime, it’s time to pare down the berried treasure still left in the freezer. All of those bags of oddments frozen from last summer are almost gone. Except the rhubarb….

So, I decided to make muffins: Rhubarb Brown Butter Muffins*. Once I piled in the (evil) white sugar and way too much rich Greek yogurt I realized these were no longer muffins, these were more like baby cakes cleverly disguised as muffins. Whatever you want to call them, know they are dense and rich! They cry out for a cup of coffee and maybe even a scoop or two of ice cream or crème fraiche. Oh my.

In a large bowl, mix together:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coconut flour
¾ cup granulated sugar: I know. White sugar is evil! However, it gives the best texture. Replace with cane sugar or use a mix: 1 cup white sugar; ¼ brown sugar to ease your health conscience
21/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated lemon or orange peel
½ tsp baking soda
Generous pinches of sea salt

In another bowl, whisk together:

1 cup Greek yogurt
½ cup butter, browned
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Prepare Fruit:
Chop and measure out 2 cups chopped rhubarb. Keep pieces bite-size so they don’t turn gross and snotty. If using frozen rhubarb, be sure to keep frozen. The texture will be better – less soggy.

What to do:

Pour wet ingredients over dry mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold to mix. Batter will be really really thick. Try your best to not overmix. Gently stir in rhubarb. Divide between cups in a well-oiled muffin pan. Bake in preheated 400F oven until deep golden, about 20 minutes. While still warm, sprinkle tops with more sugar if you wish – it melts in to form a crackly crust. Best eaten same day as baked.

* You had me at “brown butter”. Brown butter is regular butter that has been heated until it turns deep brown. It has a wonderful nutty flavour. Basically, once the water in the butter evaporates, the milk solids break down and start to brown.
1. Place cubes of butter in a frying pan set over medium heat. Choose a light coloured frying pan so you can gauge how dark the butter turns.
2. Stir butter as it melts. It will foam and bubble like crazy!
3. Keep stirring until foam subsides and butter is deep amber. The darker it gets, the bitterer it may become. Yuck. Remove from heat and immediately pour into a small bowl. The butter will keep cooking if left in warm pan.