Rhubarb Cheesecake Muffins

As usual, I can’t get enough of using rhubarb throughout its growing season. This year we started three new plants as our older ones are producing less and less. I think they are probably just becoming to shaded so we put the new ones in a great little spot on the south side of the garage.

Rhubarb’s awkward positioning between fruit and vegetable, sweet and tart, is a topic that’s constantly debated. It resembles sticks of celery dressed in their best pink Sunday attire, blushing from the first few washes of early sun peaking through its dense foliage after winter hibernation underground.

Pie remains the most common use for rhubarb, so much that older cookbooks called it the ‘pie plant’. While it generally is treated as a fruit, it has also been used as a savory ingredient, frequently paired with meats, cheese, stuffings, sauces and much more.

This is one of my favorite ‘sweet’ recipes from quite a few years ago. It has it all — rhubarb, cream cheese & streusal!

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Rhubarb Cheesecake Muffins

Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
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Rate this recipe!

Course

Brunch, dessert

Cuisine

American, European, German

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Stewed Rhubarb

• 1 1/4 cups fresh rhubarb, finely diced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 lemon slice

Batter

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter,
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten

Cream Cheese Filling

• 250 grams cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Course Brunch, dessert Cuisine American, European, German Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Stewed Rhubarb 1 1/4 cups fresh rhubarb, finely diced 1/2 cup sugar 1 lemon slice Batter 2 1/4 cups flour 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup sour cream 1 tsp vanilla 1 egg, beaten Cream Cheese Filling 250 grams cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp lemon zest

Votes: 2 Rating: 4.5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Stewed Rhubarb

1. In a small saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar & lemon slice. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar melts. Reduce heat & simmer about 10-12 minutes or until thickened & reduced to about 1/2 cup. Allow to cool.

Batter

1. In a large bowl, combine flour & sugar. with a pastry blender, cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. In a small dish, measure 1 cup of the flour mixture & add walnuts & cinnamon. Set aside. To remaining flour mixture add baking powder, baking soda & salt. Set aside. In a third bowl, combine sour cream, vanilla & beaten egg.

Cream Cheese Filling

1. In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 sugar, egg & lemon zest. Fold in stewed rhubarb.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cups. Stir SOUR CREAM mixture into FLOUR/BAKING POWDER mixture until just blended. Do not over mix! Spread this batter evenly over bottom & up the sides of each paper cup. Place a spoonful of FILLING MIXTURE in center of each, then top with WALNUT MIXTURE & bake 12-15 minutes or until muffins test done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.