Breakfast muffins are a win... breakfast muffins with rhubarb are a must. I love rhubarb fiercely and am always looking for new ways to work with it. I've tried pie and pancakes, but the all the time favorite is still Rhubars. Naturally, these muffins from Scandi Foodie caught my eye.
Rhubarb has an amazing construct. It looks and feels like celery when fresh. The texture immediately softens when warmed and becomes a gooey surprise. It has a natural sweetness, make sure you buy vibrant red stalks, that reminds me of lemon. It is kind of like incorporating tiny pockets of jam!
Chia seeds add a nutritional dynamic. I don't find their taste to be noticeable. Maybe a faint nuttyness but for the most part, I need to see the seeds to realize it's even in the mix. Don't let their manners fool you though. They have an extremely high concentration of omega 3 acids; one serving has 18 percent of the recommended daily calcium and 4 grams of protein; they are a great source of fiber and potassium; and they're low in cholestrol and sodium. Why NOT want to huff these down? I added extra to the mix.
Pack in the punch with walnuts. These nuts are powerhouse with more omega 3's, protein, and the highest level of antioxidants in the nut kingdom. They're rich in flavor, so if you're not a big walnut person, trade them out with almonds or hazelnut.
I made a few adjustments to the mix to make them even "healthier" such as cutting back on the sugar and upping the walnuts, chia seeds, and rhubarb. Overall, the flavor is well... nutty. Blame this on the combination of walnuts, chia seeds, and spelt flour. They're great for breakfast or as a snack.
Rhubarb, Walnut, and Chia Seeds Muffins
slightly modified from Scandi Foodie
50 ml olive oil
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 large, free-range egg
250ml buttermilk (or 250ml milk + 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice)
245 g rhubarb, cut into 1 cm dice
80g walnuts, roughly chopped
300g white spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
450g chia seeds
1 tablespoons rapadura sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 390F and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin.
Mix the sugar, olive oil, vanilla, egg and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the rhubarb and the walnuts. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and chia seeds in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the rest of the batter and fold everything together quickly until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and sprinkle each muffin with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.
