Strawberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins with Brown Butter

Rhubarb is one of the first plants harvested in spring and it’s the first to kickstart my excitement for the season ahead! Tart and crisp, mixed in pies, crumbles, cocktails, and chutneys, rhubarb is more versatile than you think! So, why not try some rhubarb in a corn muffin?

For this recipe, I wanted to make something different but still keep things simple and classic. But if you decide that you want to omit the strawberries and rhubarb you’ll still have a delicious corn muffin recipe that’s moist and fluffy. To add depth and to keep the corn muffins moist I used yogurt and tried a new brand called Saugeen Country Organic Yogurt and was very pleased with it. It’s made with cow’s milk, bacterial culture, and absolutely nothing else! The yogurt is full fat (yessssss) and its consistency is runnier than most yogurts. I’m telling you this because if you opt to use a thick or greek-style yogurt in this strawberry rhubarb corn muffin recipe, you won’t get as moist a muffin as you would with Saugeen Country Organic Yogurt!

Ingredients

Unsalted butter
Yellow cornmeal
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Whole milk
Plain yogurt (I used Saugeen Country Organic Yogurt)
Fresh strawberries
Rhubarb
Egg
Baking powder & baking soda

Brown Butter

It always surprises me to hear that so many people don’t know what brown butter is or how to make it! You won’t believe just how simple it is! Seriously, all you do is stick butter in a pot and let it brown, yup that’s it! Brown butter is the most delicious thing you’ll ever taste; full of rich nutty, toasted flavour that fills your mouth with a warm intensity. It’s the perfect pairing for these strawberry rhubarb corn muffins and you won’t be upset that you took the extra step to up your butter game! If you’ve made brown butter before you know what I’m talking about. It just sounds fancy, but even a newbie baker can do it!

Tips for Making Strawberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins

Make the brown butter first, that way the butter can cool while you make the muffins and it will be ready for you to enjoy with the corn muffins.
Be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter can cause dense dry muffins as this overdevelops the glutens in the flour.
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter. This will ensure even baking as all the muffins will be the same size.
If using frozen fruit, make sure it’s the last ingredient you mix into the batter and gently fold the strawberries and rhubarb into the batter. The frozen fruit can cause the batter to stiffen up which can result in overmixing.
Be careful not to overbake the muffins as this will dry them out and they will become crumbly.

How To Make Strawberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins with Brown Butter

Step One: Make your brown butter and set aside.

Step Two: Chop strawberries and rhubarb into small pieces and set aside. Make your batter. Add wet ingredients together and mix well. In a separate bowl add your dry ingredients and whisk together. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix just until combined. Add strawberries and rhubarb and gently fold into the batter. Scoop into muffin tins and bake.

Strawberry Rhubarb Corn Muffins

Print Recipe

★★★

3 from 1 reviews

These are by far the best corn muffins you’ll ever bake. They are loaded with strawberries and rhubarb; are moist, flavourful and the perfect texture. You’ll definitely want to keep this recipe on hand.

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 13 mins
Total Time: 38 mins
Yield: 1 dozen 1x
Category: Snack
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature (I used Saugeen Country Organic Yogurt)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup rhubarb, sliced (about 1 large stalk)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425˚F and grease or line a muffin tin, set aside.
Melt butter, set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and soda together until well combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl add cooled butter to milk, whisk together. Add the eggs and yogurt, whisk until well combined and smooth.
Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients in two batches, mix until just combined.
Add your chopped strawberries and rhubarb, gently fold into your batter.
Evenly scoop out batter into each muffin cup.
Place into the middle of the oven and bake for approx. 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Let muffins cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

Variations (omit Strawberries and Rhubarb and add):
– Jalapenos
– Plain
– Cheese and Green Onion

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 134.5
Sugar: 1.9g
Sodium: 54.5mg
Fat: 2.95g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Unsaturated Fat: 0
Trans Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 23.9g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 3.4g
Cholesterol: 13.5mg

Keywords: Corn Muffins, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Spring, Breakfast, Muffins

Brown Butter

Print Recipe

★★★

3 from 1 reviews

The best kind of butter is brown butter! Full of rich, nutty toasted flavour that you just can’t resist! Store like you would with normal butter.

Author: Alie Romano
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 1/2 Cup 1x
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Units Scale

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter

Instructions

In a medium saucepan (preferably a light coloured pot so you can see the butter browning) heat the butter gently over low heat until melted completely.
Raise the temperature to medium or medium/high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to make sure the butter is cooking evenly. The butter will start to foam and brown specks will slowly start to appear. It will start to smell nutty like toasted hazelnuts (when you smell this the butter is done). This may take about 5 – 8 minutes.
Remove from heat as soon as the butter browns so it doesn’t burn.
Pour in a separate bowl to cool and scrape out all the brown specks on the bottom of the pot.