You will love these old-fashioned rhubarb muffins! They are made with wholesome, pantry staples making them a quick and easy recipe. These muffins are moist, tart-but-sweet, and are such a delicious treat to add to your family’s menu!
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Oh, rhubarb. You are such a beautiful, wonderful treat.
Rhubarb is one of those things that is just super special; mostly because of the time of year it is grown.
Here in Wisconsin, the winters are long. When spring finally arrives, it is as if the whole world rejoices. And in that celebration, the first fruits of the Earth begin to appear- one of them being rhubarb!
Rhubarb is an easy-to-grow vegetable that is distinguishable by its long stalk-like stems and large leaves (but don’t eat the leaves- they’re poisonous!). The stalks are known for their tartness, making them a favorite to use in jams and baking, especially in the early spring. But- don’t think rhubarb is just for sweets! I put together a huge list of (maybe surprising) from-scratch recipes and ways to use up rhubarb here that offer versatility and lots of options for a large rhubarb harvest!
Is rhubarb old-fashioned?
Rhubarb is a plant that has been around for quite some time.
Rhubarb was a highly used and valued plant for pioneers. Rhubarb is first known to have been grown in Philadelphia in the early 1700s by John Bartram (source), where he grew the plan for medicinal purposes. It then became more widely known to the pioneers in the 1800s, who dubbed it “the pie plant”. Loving the plant so much, pioneer women cut off chunks of the roots and smuggled them west in burlap sacks in an effort to continue to provide for their families.
Rhubarb is a perennial plant that grows back year after year, which makes it ideal for pioneering families (and homesteaders, too!). Its highly poisonous leaves kept animals from eating it before the pioneers could, which is definitely a sought after quality. Rhubarb was regarded as a “spring tonic”, and many old cookbooks refer to it as a “spring fruit stew”. This tonic was used for its fiber, many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Ingredients for old-fashioned rhubarb muffins
One of the ways I like to keep things “old-fashioned” is to keep the ingredients simple. This means using ingredients that are available to most people, within the pantries of their home, and almost any time.
These old-fashioned rhubarb muffins are no exception! They are filled with staple pantry ingredients which all come together beautifully to create a delicious, moist, tart-yet-sweet old-fashioned rhubarb muffin.
What you’ll need to make the muffins:
- 1/2 cup milk (we used whole milk from our family milk cow)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla (if you’re not making your own, you should be! Find out how here)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb
- 1 1/2 cups flour
There’s also a to-die-for crumble topping that goes on these old-fashioned rhubarb muffins. For that, you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
What you’ll need:
You won’t need much to make these delicious muffins in a hurry!
- Large mixing bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Muffin Tins
- Oven Mitts (these are so cute!)
- Cupcake liners
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Apron (this one is beautiful!)
Easy, Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Muffins
These old-fashioned, easy to make rhubarb muffins are moist, tart-yet-sweet, and absolutely delicious! Covered with a crumble topping, these muffins are a perfect combination of moisture, crunch, and perfection.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 cups diced rhubarb
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with cupcake liners or greasing the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, vanilla, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix together well.
- Stir in baking powder.
- Next, add in your chopped rhubarb. Stir it completely into the mixture.
- Stir in 1 1/2 cups of flour, a half cup at a time. You'll want to add this slowly, making sure to not overmix.
- Fill each muffin tin equally with muffin batter mix. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup of melted butter, oats, and remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar to form a crumble.
- Using a spoon, distribute the crumble mixture to each muffin equally.
- Place muffins in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until muffin top springs back when you touch it.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- These muffins will take some time to bake, as the rhubarb releases moisture during the baking process.
- Because the muffins are so moist, store in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days. Placing them in the refrigerator can add to shelf life (but these are so delicious that you probably won't have to worry about that anyway!)
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Looking for more recipes?
Try out some of these!
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- SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS RHUBARB RASPBERRY COBBLER | NATURALLY SWEETENED
- FROM SCRATCH RHUBARB RECIPES TO TRY THIS SPRING
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