It’s Pride Month. I sat down to write this, and thought, wow, I am ready for Wrath Month and Goth Season. Spring is finally here, just in time for Juneuary; my brain feels like a sieve, and I am so tired! Tired of the never-ending pandemic and the lifting of mask mandates; tired of all the anti-trans, anti-queer legislation; tired of gun violence. I haven’t written anything clever or useful about queer things this month, so you can enjoy some of my evergreen past work here:
- rainbow-washing/rainbow-denying
- queer-baiting on soft drinks
- gender reveal cakes and bad cis reporting
- a couple queer birthday cakes for my partner
- a review of very bad section about “LGBT weddings” in a lackluster book on wedding food
The physical act of making food– washing rice, chopping rhubarb, weighing out the plums for umeshu, kneading pizza dough (with my bread hook, anyway)–is about the only thing keeping me steady or bringing me joy right now. Chopping the rhubarb and apples for these muffins lets me tune out for a bit, and the recipe is simple enough that I can’t misread it. I hope it brings you some comfort, too.
This recipe originally appeared on my Patreon last spring, which is where most of my recipes are now.
Like this recipe? Support me on Patreon.
Rhubarb-Apple Muffins
Yields 12 muffins
Adapted from Jo Brewer’s “Apple and rhubarb muffins” on BBC Food (from Hairy Bikers’ Meals on Wheels).
Equipment
- Muffin tin or muffin cups (12)
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F (170C). Grease or line a muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, mix together
- 1 TBSP (11 g, 0.38 oz) baking powder
- 250g (9 oz) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 55g (1oz, ½ cup + 1/8 cup) oat bran or oat flour****
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together
- 6 TBSP (1/4 + 2 TBSP, 90 mL) neutral oil – avocado, olive, or sunflower oil*
- 150 g (5.3 oz, 3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 250ml (9 fl oz, 1 cup) buttermilk**
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and fold in
- 85g (3oz – about one stalk) rhubarb, cut into 1cm (½ inch) pieces
- 85g apple (3oz apple – about half a medium apple), cored and diced***
- 55g (2oz, heaping ½ cup) walnuts or pecans, chopped
Fill the muffin tin/cups evenly with the batter (about 1/4-1/3 cup each). Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. They should spring back lightly to touch.
Notes
* I used avocado oil, since I had some leftover from a recipe.
** Or combine 1 TBSP (15 mL) vinegar and 235 mL milk (add 1 TBSP of vinegar to a liquid 1-cup measure and fill the cup the rest of the way with milk. If using soy/almond milk, I prefer to use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar.
***Use a crisp green apple or one that hold up well to baking – Granny Smith, Jonagold, etc.
**** I am out of oat bran, so I ground up some rolled oats.
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I'll Make It Myself! 