Oaty Rhubarb Muffins

Back at the beginning of the year I was turning over some recipe ideas in my head for muffins which would contain some kind of fruit. Initially I was considering raspberries or some such other popular small fruit or berry, but all of a sudden, as I was considering the time of year, I realised rhubarb would shortly be coming into season and that basing my recipe around this interesting, bitter, and crunchy vegetable (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable, although it is often paired with sweetening ingredients which certainly complement its bitterness) which is forced in a dark space early in the year, and later harvested from outdoor crops, would be a little more exciting. If you’re interested to read further about rhubarb, this blog post by The Hungry Guest offers a very quick and comprehensible guide to rhubarb.

I wanted to create something easy, quick, and, of course, healthy, filled with a variety of ingredients to cover a range of nutrients, because this gently sweet muffin is aimed at those moments when you need a little pick-me-up or gap filler mid-morning or mid-afternoon. They are great for giving to your children as a healthy treat too, when you get back from the school run. My boys are always starving when they get back from school, so something like this goes down perfectly after a bowl of fruit. To enjoy these muffins at their best, eat them on the day they are made, but they do keep well in a lidded container or Tupperware for a few days. These yummy little creations are also dairy-free, so if you need to avoid dairy, these are for you! I hope you enjoy making them. This recipe makes six muffins, but you can easily double the amounts.

Ingredients

• 50g oatbran
• 80g wholemeal plain flour
• 40g desiccated coconut plus 1 tsp for sprinkling
• 1 stick of rhubarb (approx.100g)
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp mixed seeds
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• Pinch of salt

Equipment

• Six hole silicone muffin try or metal muffin tray and muffin cases

Method

Preheat oven to fan 180°C.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Place the honey and egg in another bowl and whisk together until combined, then add the almond milk and stir in well until the mixture is nice and yellow.

Slice the rhubarb into slices of about 4mm. Set aside six slices and stir the rest into the egg and honey mixture.

Add the rhubarb, egg and honey mixture to the dry ingredients and combine well, then divide into the muffin tray using a table spoon heaped with the mixture. Sprinkle some of the extra desiccated coconut on each, and finish with a slice of rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove tray from oven and when the muffins are cool enough to handle, after a couple of minutes, remove them from the tray and place on a cooling rack.

Enjoy on the same day, or store for a few days in a sealed container.

I hope you enjoy these simple, nourishing muffins. As you can see from the ingredients, they are not meant to be sweetness overload, but a nutritious snack which provides energy whilst at the same time giving a little sweet kick in a healthy way.

Thank you so much for reading, if you’ve made it to here! I do hope you enjoy this recipe.

Xxx Sam