Strawberry rhubarb oatmeal muffins have a place in time for me and it’s associated with spring. They are a hybrid between soft and crunchy textures and deliver a heap of fruitiness within.
Rhubarb – love or hate?
Now, about rhubarb…
I have not known what rhubarb is until I moved to England in my late twenties. It made me intrigued and excited at the same time. What is this weird plant with its vibrant red and streaks of dark green and tartness reminding of a sour apple or lemon? How is it supposed to be eaten? (by the way, don’t eat the leaves, they are toxic). I had no idea, but I was hooked. Steamed chunks collapsing in a tangy sauce or firm dices swirled in sweet batters bring to mind a sour and sweet promise. I guess you can chop it up and freeze it to have in another season, although the allure is never the same.
Rhubarb is not for everyone, I know that because my sweet friend “hates rhubarb”. Which is why when paired with strawberries something magic happens. It’s like they were meant to be: classic English flavors brought together in desserts, drinks, pies, crumbles, jams or rhubarb and strawberry crumble muffins.
They make gorgeous drinks with this pairing, gins, lemonades and sparkling cocktails. They turn pink and balance the sourness with the sweet in a complex twist.
Easy does it
To make these easy coffee or tea time accompaniments, it’s only the work of minutes. But you should be accustomed to the easy execution that I promote. Even if some are joined at the hip with their kitchen, a few folks want to spend hours mixing, chopping, prepping intricate dishes. Well, some may, but I’d rather find easy and healthy (kinda) options to share with my family and followers.
Once I chopped and sweetened the fruit, I let it wait patiently before swirl into the unctuos batter that is made with oil to keep the muffins nice and moist.
Keep it clean: I use paper muffin cases (easy to recycle) placed neatly in my old trusted Judge muffin tin.
This tin has seen me through hundreds of muffins over the years, either for charity baking contests or for bringing moments of delight to my loved ones.
And to top it all off…
These strawberry rhubarb oatmeal muffins are not the usual type. They have a crunchy topping (or streusel topping) that is subtle yet satisfying. The crumble like topping is easily made by achieving the classic breadcrumb appearance with a little butter and flour. I love to add jumbo rolled oats to my crumble toppings, oats are a heart health champion.
Tea or coffee time to serve fruity muffins
I asked my loved ones what their favorite beverage is with these special muffins. And no surprise, everyone has their favorite ways, it’s like when folks are eating biscuits and they love to dunk them. I prefer mine with coffee in the morning and with tea in the afternoon.
Coffee is an obsession for me and I just cannot fathom starting a day without it. I go through phases of coffee making and right now I use a pour over coffee maker. Watch one of my other delicious muffins recipe video to see how I make my pour-over coffee!
My tea of choice is Earl Grey and I used to take it with a dash of milk for years. More recently, I savor the pure delicate fragrance of the bergamot oil added to the black tea.
I invite you to celebrate the flavors of spring giving a go to the sweet tartness of this delightful treat 🫶.
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Strawberry rhubarb oatmeal muffins recipe
Ingredients
For the muffin batter
- 175 g golden caster sugar or caster sugar
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 125 g yogurt (I use Greek yogurt, or sourcream)
- 1 medium egg
- 200 g plain flour (if using self raising, omit the baking powder)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (or baking soda)
- ¼ tsp salt (or a pinch)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds of a vanilla pod)
- ½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
For fruit inclusions
- 100 g rhubarb (stalks washed, cut in strips then diced in 0.5 cm cubes approximate size)
- 80 g strawberries (hulled and chopped in 0.5 cm pieces approximate size)
For the topping (jumbo oat crumble)
- 50 g golden caster sugar or caster sugar
- 50 g plain flour
- 50 g jumbo rolled oats
- 50 g butter (fridge cold and cut into 1 cm cubes)
Instructions
Prepare the oven and muffin tin
- Preheat the oven to 220℃ (425℉) or 200℃ (392℉) fan.
- Line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases. I haven't tried a silicone muffin tray, but I expect it to work well.
Prepare the fruit
- Mix the sugar, rhubarb and strawberries together and set aside.
Make the crumble topping
- Mix the flour with the cold butter and rub gently with your fingers until resembling rough breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar and oats and gently incorporate with your fingers.
Mix the muffin batter
- Mix the oil, egg, vanilla and yogurt with the fruit (it may be a little syrupy but that's fine).
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix well with a spatula until combined.
- Work fast here. The muffins should be put in the oven as soon as mixed to get the most volume.
Ready to bake
- Scoop the batter into the muffin cases, it takes approximately a heaped large tablespoon for each. If any batter is left, distribute evenly between the muffin cases so they have roughly the same amount.
- Spread the crumble topping on each muffin equally until all mix is used.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Try the middle with a toothpick, it should come out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
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