These strawberry rhubarb streusel muffins are just the right balance between sweet and sour and are a perfect treat for that late spring/early summer vibe. These muffins are super moist, full of flavor, and the streusel topping gives them a perfect crunchy texture to balance the super soft interior. If you’re not a fan of the pie version of this combination, you may want to try these muffins instead.
½cupgranulated sugar, plus 2 teaspoons for the fruit
¼cupbrown sugar, packed
¼cupunsalted butter, melted
¼cupvegetable oil
2largeeggs, at room temperature
½cupmilk, at room temperature
½cupfull-fat sour cream, at room temperature
½teaspoonalmond extract
1teaspoonlemon juice
1cup½” diced rhubarb, about ½ pound
1 ½cupschopped strawberries, about ¾ pound
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425°F / 220°C and prepare a muffin pan with either liners or baking spray.
Start by cutting ¾ pound of strawberries and a ½ pound of rhubarb. Both can be cut into a large dice, roughly in ½” pieces. You should have about 1 cup of rhubarb and 1 ½ cups of strawberries. Once chopped, add to a bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons of white sugar and set aside.
Next, make the streusel topping. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ½ cup all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and a ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Add ¼ cup of melted butter and toss with a fork until you have moist but not wet mixture that has a coarse and crumbly texture. Set it aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. In another mixing bowl add ½ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup melted butter, and ¼ cup vegetable oil and whisk to combine until the sugars are mostly dissolved. Now whisk in the 2 eggs, one at a time, until combined. Finally, add in the ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon almond extract and whisk to combine again.
Reserve a tablespoon of the dry mixture, and then add the rest to the wet ingredients. Whisk until just combined. Toss the strawberries and rhubarb with the reserved flour mixture and then add to the muffin batter. Gently fold them into the batter.
Fill the prepared muffin pan with the batter, all the way to the top, then top off each muffin with a tablespoon or so of the streusel topping. Place into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350°F / 180°C and continue baking another 18-20 minutes.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes or so, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
1) Two Temperatures – The initially high oven temperature gives the muffins a boost in their initial rising with the baking powder, while the lower temperature allows them to cook fully without overcooking the outside and having an underbaked center.2) Lining or Spraying – Muffins can be baked with or without liners or cups. This is purely a personal preference. Using paper or silicone muffin liners can make cleanup easier and give you a slightly moister texture to the insides. Using a baking spray like Baker’s Joy is also fine and gives a slightly crispier outside.3) Different Sizes – The baking instructions above are for a typical 12-count muffin tin. If you wish to make jumbo muffins in a 6-count tin, keep the temperatures the same and increase the secondary time from 18-20 minutes to 22-25 minutes. If you prefer mini muffins, bake at 350°F / 220°C the whole time, for about 12-14 minutes. For mini muffins, you’ll end up with roughly 36-40 total. 4) Dicing – If you’ve ever made strawberry rhubarb pie, you’ll know it’s recommended not to cut the strawberries too small, or you’ll risk a mushy mess. Because these muffins cook faster and the strawberries and rhubarb are enclosed in a batter, they won’t be subjected to the same amount of heat, so you can chop them into smaller bite-sized pieces.