Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins

These Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins are tender, moist, and packed with tart, vibrant chunks of soft rhubarb. They are such an easy way to use rhubarb and can be frozen to keep the rhubarb party going well past rhubarb season! Serve them with my Rhubarb Curd for an extra special treat!

Recipe Background and Details

I love muffins and I love rhubarb so it only made sense to combine them! These Sour Cream Rhubarb muffins are so good! They are the perfect size and I love that sparkly sugar top. This recipe makes 12 perfect little muffins. I am not on team massive muffin - I like mine on the small/normal size. If you like huge muffins feel free to bake these in a larger muffin pan and add more baking time.

Check out my other rhubarb recipes: rhubarb crumble scones, pickled rhubarb, rhubarb chutney, rhubarb curd, rhubarb galette, and rhubarb elderflower refresher cocktail.

And if you love muffins be sure to browse around my breads category for all of my muffin recipes and more!

Ingredients

You will just need a simple list of pantry and fridge staples to make these muffins with the addition of fresh rhubarb.

• all-purpose flour
• granulated sugar
• lemon zest
• baking powder
• salt
• chopped rhubarb
• melted butter
• eggs
• sour cream
• vanilla extract
• lemon juice

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

The process is simple and straightforward like a muffin recipe should be. Wet into dry and a gentle mix. This is quite a sturdy muffin batter and that is intentional to prevent the rhubarb pieces from all sinking straight to the bottom. Don't fear, a sturdy batter bakes up to a moist, tender muffin.

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well

add chopped rhubarb to dry mixture

Toss to coat rhubarb in flour and add wet ingredients

mix gently until a dough form and no dry ingredients are visible

Divide between twelve muffin tins and top with about a tablespoon of sugar each

Bake until golden and cooked through

Substitutions and Variations

I like to keep these pretty simple, but here are a few ideas to change things up:

Sour cream: full fat yogurt may be used or buttermilk or kefir. If using buttermilk or kefir reduce the amount just a bit.

Spice: add a touch of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg for a spiced up version.

Rhubarb: Reduce the rhubarb amount by half and replace it with berries, chopped peaches, or another soft fruit.

Nuts: Add some chopped nuts to the filling or topping if you like.

Topping: An oat crumble topping like the one I top my Rhubarb Crumble Scones with would be amazing on these muffins. Or a simple streusel topping like this one: Blueberry Streusel Muffins.

Make ahead and Storage

Muffin batter can be made the night before and scooped and baked the next morning.

Muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Top tips - how to make the best muffins

• Do NOT over mix. You want a lumpy, ugly batter. A fork or silicone spatula are great tools for mixing muffin batter without over-mixing.
• Once you scoop the muffin batter, allow the batter to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before baking in preheated oven. This little waiting period will allow the baking soda and baking powder some time to start bubbling. This means you will get a little extra lift in those pretty muffin tops! You can even leave it in the fridge overnight.

FAQ

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Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins Recipe

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These Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins are tender, moist, and packed with tart, vibrant chunks of soft rhubarb. They are such an easy way to use rhubarb and can be frozen to keep the rhubarb party going well past rhubarb season! Serve them with my Rhubarb Curd for an extra special treat!

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

dry ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white granulated sugar

zest of one lemon

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1.5 cups chopped rhubarb

wet ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) melted butter

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

juice of one lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix wet ingredients (melted butter, eggs, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla) in a bowl or spouted measuring cup and set aside.
3. Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest) well and add chopped rhubarb. Toss rhubarb to coat it in the dry mixture.
4. Add wet ingredients and mix gently until no dry bits remain. Don't overmix.
5. Divide between 12 muffin cups and top each with about a tablespoon of granulated sugar if desired.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Remove from muffin pan and cool on a rack.

Notes

This is quite a sturdy muffin batter and that is intentional to prevent the rhubarb pieces from all sinking straight to the bottom. Don't fear, a sturdy batter bakes up to a moist, tender muffin.

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: muffins, breads, breakfast
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: American