Sunday, March 20, 2011

Rhubarb crumb muffins from Tate's Bake Shop

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During my recent winter weekend in the Hamptons, I made a pilgrimage to Tate's Bake Shop in Southampton, New York. I went for the chocolate chip cookies, based on the gushing comments on Tate's Facebook page.

The cookies looked wonderful, but no one had warned me about the muffins. Muffins are my weakness. The woman ahead of me in line ordered a sour cream coffee cake muffin. "Is that what I want for breakfast?" I asked her as she turned to leave. "That's the the one," she said with a sure smile. "You won't be sorry." Of course, she was right. It was easily the best muffin I've ever had - light crumb, strong vanilla scent, brown sugar crumble with chopped pecans on top. Okay, it was cake. But who cares? Cake in the shape of a muffin is still breakfast food in my book.


I bought the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook as my weekend souvenir. A few days later, home again, the rhubarb crumb muffin recipe caught my eye. The first thin stalks of rhubarb had just appeared at my local farmers' market - spring comes early in southern California. I chopped, macerated, creamed, crumbled and baked. The result? Let's just say that if the other recipes in the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook are anywhere near as good, I am never letting this book out of my sight.




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Rhubarb crumb muffins from the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook
Thanks to Tate's Bake Shop in Southampton, New York, for giving me permission to reprint this recipe.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided1/3 cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed1/2 tsp cinnamon13 Tbsp salted butter, divided2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/4-inch pieces1/4 cup powdered sugar1 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract1/2 cup milk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.Make the crumb topping: Mix 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix in 5 Tbsp butter with your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture forms small crumbs. Set it aside. (This can be made the night before and stored in a zip-top bag; you can even freeze it.)Make the batter: Mix the rhubarb and powdered sugar in a small bowl and set it aside.Mix the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set it aside.Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer until they are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat them until they are fluffy, about 1 minute. Slowly mix in half the flour mixture until it is incorporated, then half of the milk. Mix it and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat.Fold in the rhubarb mixture.Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Distribute the crumbs evenly on top of each muffin.Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 12 muffins

11 comments:

Marly said...

What a muffin! That takes the concept of a muffin top to a new level, don't you think? I can't wait to try out this recipe. I think you should go to the Hamptons more often! And maybe you should take me with you?

Unknown said...

Now this is my kind of muffin and I will look forward to trying this recipe. I'll be looking for rhubarb in the market now;-)

Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels said...

I have the same cookbook and love it! How wonderful that you got to visit Tate's Bake Shop! Your muffins look so good and I love the color that the rhubarb adds to the muffins. :)

Julie @ Willow Bird Baking said...

Oh yum! I have this cookbook and now must make these muffins :) They look amazing.

BTW: funny story -- my "captcha" words for adding this comment was "nomment" -- how fitting!

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

The rhubarb looks wonderful, but that sour cream coffee cake muffin speaks to something in my soul...

Rhonda said...

I love rhubarb and glad to see it used differently. I'd love to try your cake/muffins. Go ahead and package up a couple for me will ya? Spring is nowhere close here in Montana.

Nancy said...

I knew there was a reason we got along Erika - we are both rhubarb lovers!! That shot of the center of the muffin... oh my what I wouldn't give to have one of those right now!!! Have bookmarked this recipe and will try and snag some rhubarb ASAP!!

megan @ whatmegansmaking said...

These look so good! I have to ask though, did the rhubarb make the muffins mushy at all, the way strawberries would? I have this cookbook and have been debating trying the recipe. Thanks!

Erika Kerekes said...

@Megan - not mushy in the least. I think tossing the pieces in powdered sugar ahead of time helped draw out some of the water, which then mixed with the cornstarch in the powdered sugar.

Megan said...

Rhubarb is coming and I cant wait. These muffins look like a grand way to celebrate it's arrival.

Sippity Sup said...

What a muffin is right! But more importantly you did have a good time in NY and you brought us along! GREG

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