Rhubarb & walnut muffins

Hello, my name is Johanna and I am a butter addict. Yep, that's right. Not even a recovering one, and not that I'd ever want to try to wean myself off it. Especially not since I've heard that my aversion to what was claimed to be the "healthy" alternative, margarine, is a sensible one since margarine is actually far worse than my beloved butter because it's full of nasty transfats that really play havoc with your cholesterol!

So I am not ashamed to say that I LOVE butter. If I had to choose just one thing that I needed to live on for the rest of my life, it would be freshly baked sourdough (preferrably my own) with sea salt butter - ok, that's two things, I guess, but for me, that's true heaven on earth. Another favourite way to have butter is beurre noisette - I love its nutty flavour and whenever we have a dinner party where the starter or main calls for some bread to go with, or if we're serving a cheese board after, I always make a point of browning said sea salt butter to serve alongside...  It's also funny how people then start to guess what it is an never quite get it... just like it happened to me when I had it for the first time. It's such a simple thing to do, yet absolutely divine!

Often when I bake and have a recipe that calls for melted butter, I tend to actually brown it first: it works a treat for financiers like these as well as the muffins I made on the weekend... a step so simple, yet it adds a flavour dimension that is absolutely amazing. This recipe is quite low on sugar, perfect for those who want a sweet treat, but not overly so...

So here you have it, by popular demand: the recipe for rhubarb & walnut muffins that so many of my facebook friends have requested, I hope you like them as much as my neighbours did ;-)

Rhubarb & walnut muffins
(makes 12)

80 g unsalted butter
150 g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
100 g ground nuts (walnuts or hazelnuts work best)
160 g buttermilk
200 g self-raising flour (or plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder)
200 g rhubarb stalks (cut into slices of about 1 cm)

Pre-heat oven to 200C.

Place the butter in a frying pan, melt and stir until it starts browning... careful not to burn it!
Pour into a mixing bowl and leave to cool for a little while before proceeding.

Add the sugar and eggs, beat until creamy. (TX4/30'')*
Add the nuts, buttermilk and flour and beat until well combined. (TX4/15'')
Fold in the rhubarb pieces without overworking the dough or bruising the rhubarb.

Line a muffin tray with paper cases, fill each case with a good heaped tablespoon full of mixture, up to just below the rim. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer prodded into the muffins comes out clean.

Best served as soon as they've cooled down to a manageable temperature...

* The instructions in brackets are for the lucky owners of a Thermomix.

Comments

[Pille]

You must try my rhubarb muffins as well, Johanna :)
I haven't baked any this year yet, as at the moment I can only buy Dutch rhubarb and I'm waiting for the local rhubarb to be available... (And then I'll try yours as well!)

[Gourmet Chick]

Johanna I am with you in your butter addiction - it really makes the world better!

[Jeanne @ Cooksister!]

Butter is The way Forward, no doubt about it :) I love your idea of browning the butter even in recipes that do not call for it - I can imagine what it does for the flavour. Divine!

[Pastry Lover]

Real butter beats everything ! As a pastry lover, I always use butter, what a difference in flavour ! I will certainly try your recipe of Rhubarb & Walnut muffins. Thanks for sharing !

[Kit]

I'm another butter devotee - very smug I was when the tide turned against margarine!
I've never tried browning butter, but now i'm curious and am goignt o have to try this recipe, but maybe with plums as we sadly have no access to rhubarb here :(

[Sabine & Wolfgang Bauer, Gallneukirchen, Austria]

Hallo Johanna!
Da geb ich dir recht, Butter schmeckt viel besser ist auch gesünder!
Ich hab die Rhabarer-Muffins probiert, weil wir jetzt schon so schönen Rhabarber im Garten haben und sie waren ein Wahnsinn!

[Choclette]

I'm with you on the butter- much healthier as well as tastier than margarine! Really interesting idea to brown the butter for muffins - I've only ever done it for Nigella's burnt butter cupcakes, but think you might have started a new trend!