GINGER RHUBARB MUFFINS

Rhubarb being one of my favorite dessert items in spring, it try to use it as much as possible as long as it is still in season. There is not one week that goes by without us eating a wonderful treat made with that magical vegetable...

With my beloved rhubarb stalks I generally make either "Clafoutis", "Cobblers", "Upside-Down Cakes" or "Crumbles". This time, for a change, I decided upon making muffins and as I love to pair rhubarb with spices, I opted for a "Ginger Rhubarb Muffins" recipe I found on the Williams-Sonoma site.

As usual, I could not make that recipe without tweaking it a little (You know me. I can't leave things the way they are LOL!). Instead of using chopped crystallized ginger (which I very much love), I flavored my muffins with loads of ground ginger and a little ground cinnamon. Both spices pair very well with rhubarb. When associated together your desserts end up tasting heavenly. For extra flavor, I also replaced half of the castor sugar by light brown sugar and added some natural vanilla extract.

Those pretty looking "Ginger Rhubarb Muffins" are very enjoyable, not too sweet easy to make and represent the perfect snack. Rhubarb brings a delightful tanginess to the muffins while the ginger and cinnamon add a gorgeous spicy note that contrasts wonderfully with the tartness of that versatile veggie. Those muffins are in no way dry nor dense, on the contrary they are very moist, fluffy and soft - no choke material here. Simply yummy!

~ Ginger Rhubarb Muffins ~
Recipe by Williams-Sonoma and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups All-purpose flour
2 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp Baking soda
1/2 Tsp Sea salt (fine)
2 Tsp Ground ginger
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 Cup Light brown sugar
1/4 Cup Castor sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Sour cream
1/3 Cup Vegetable oil
1 Egg
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 Cup (1-1 1/2 medium stalks) Finely chopped rhubarb

Method:
1. Preheat an oven to 200 ° C (400° F).
2. Grease the cups of a standard muffin pan or line with muffin papers.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, sour cream, oil, egg and vanilla. Stir in the rhubarb.
5. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. 8. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan.

Remarks:
The original recipe was made with 2 tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger (added at point 3). I decided to replace that ingredient with ground cinnamon and ginger.
I used light brown sugar and castor sugar. If you wish, you can use 3/4 cups castor sugar instead.

Serving suggestions:
Serve those muffins for afternoon tea with a good cup of tea, coffee, caffè latte, a glass of cold milk or iced coffee.

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~ Muffins A La Rhubarb Et Au Gingembre ~
Recette par Williams-Sonoma et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 12 muffins.

Ingrédients:
290g Farine
2 CC de Poudre à lever
1 CC de Bicarbonate de soude
1/2 CC de Sel de mer fin
2 CC de Gingembre en poudre
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
105g de Sucre brun clair
105g de Sucre cristallisé
120g/ml de Lait
120g/ml de Crème fraîche
70g/ml d'Huile végétale
1 Oeuf
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
1 1/4 Tasses (1 - 1 1/2 tige) de Rhubarbe coupée en petits morceaux

Méthode:
1. Préchauffer la four à 200 ° C (400° F).
2. Graisser le moule à muffins ou placer les formes en papier dans le moule.
3. Dans un grand bol, mélanger ensemble la farine, la poudre à lever, la bicarbonate de soude, le sel et les épices.
4. Dans un autre bol, mélanger (fouetter) ensemble le sucre, le lait, la crème, l'huile, l'oeuf et la vanille afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène. Ajouter la rhubarbe.
5. Ajouter le mélange avec la farine et l'incorporer très rapidement sans trop mélanger.
6. Mettre la pâte dans les moules (les remplir à 3/4).
7. Cuire pendant 15 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la pointe d'un couteau en ressorte propre.
8. Sortir la plaque du four et faire refroidir les muffins pendant 5 minutes avant de les démouler.

Remarques:
La recette originale contient 2 CS de gingembre cristallisé finement haché (à ajouter au point 3). Je l'ai remplacé par du gingembre et de la cannnelle en poudre.
J'ai aussi utilisé du sucre brun clair et du sucre cristallisé, mais si vous le désirez vous pouvez utiliser 3/4 de tasse de sucre cristallisé à la place.

Serving suggestions:
Servir ces muffins à l'heure du thé avec du thé, café, du caffè latte, du lait (chaud ou froid) ou un café glacé.