A Quiet House

Jessica and Josie have taken Jacob on for a couple summer weeks before detasseling starts. They are all at my Spring Valley house working on things that they couldn't because of school commitments. I am going to be going there 2 to 3 times a week starting next week with the plan to get the whole place done by August.

So I made them some treats to ease the process. Strawberry Rhubarb Coconut Crumb muffins. The original recipe was for bars, but this works beautifully as a muffin. I can also picture the fruit and crumble worked into pastries as filling with cream cheese.

The recipe made 28 muffins. I actually ran out of fruit and had to sub in some mandarin orange pieces and a banana. The original recipe was also gluten free and I basically used it as a suggestion while converting to regular baking.

The recipe I worked up:

Strawberry Rhubarb Coconut Crumb Muffins
Struesel:
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (not melted)
1/2 c Brown Sugar, packed (I used about 1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 c Flour
1/4 c Slivered Almonds
1/4 c Coconut Shreds, unsweetened

Combine all above in a bowl using a fork to get everything combined. Chill in the fridge while you make the rest.

Fruit:
1 c Rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 c Strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Corn Starch

In medium bowl toss all ingredients until all are coated with cornstarch.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Batter:
5 Tbsp Butter, softened
4 Tbsp Coconut Oil, room temp.
1/2 c Sugar
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Zest and Juice from one lemon
2 lg. Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 c Flour

In mixer bowl, start with butter and oil, mixing till just combined. Add sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Add lemon zest and juice and mix to incorporate. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix in, scrapping down sides, until fully blended.

Assemble & Bake:
Line muffin cups (You might want to oil the top of the pan if you are worried about it bubbling over).
Drop a large spoonful of batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Add a spoonful of fruit and then crumb topping.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Check with a butter knife to see if they've fully set at the center, if not, give them 5 more minutes. Set muffin pan on cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan.

I also made mango rhubarb crunch bars and Averie's 6 Banana Banana Bread (which made a beautiful loaf, then made a dozen muffins).

And, if sweets weren't enough, I finished off baking bread I'd started the night before. I made a loaf and 8 buns from Averie's soft & chewy coconut bread. And, as if they kids didn't already have enough sweet stuff, I brought home more rhubarb from my plant. I have enough to make a small jam batch and strawberry rhubarb bars (Jess requests these).

Right now though, I'm going to have a little a muffin and arrange all the irises I brought home yesterday.

Laura