I love fresh Farmer’s Market finds – especially when I come across seasonal items that I know will be at the peak of flavor. I found some strawberry rhubarb last week at a local mid-week market and wanted to highlight the fresh flavors in something quick and easy for our fun-filled summer mornings. I’ve also been trying (when possible) to cut out refined sugars in my baking and substituting more natural options via either raw honey or pure maple syrup.

These muffins are moist and bursting with flavors. They are a little more dense than a normal muffin, but the flavors are spot on without the refined sugars. The natural sugar in the peaches and rhubarb only add to these in the most wonderful way. 

I have some pretty cute taste testers; truly my kids are good eaters. I believe it’s because I expose them to a large variety of foods and teach them to keep an open mind to trying new things. They both love fruits and vegetables; but let’s be honest…there are still moments of finicky eating or aversion to the idea of a new item. So when these muffins were devoured in multiples over the span of 15 minutes, I knew I had a good recipe that didn’t compromise in the flavor department.

This recipe would also work well in a loaf pan instead of muffins. Change out the fruits if you want! I added blueberries on the second batch in addition to the peaches and rhubarb. Enjoy this delicious summer, friends! Love from my kitchen to yours!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of organic, grass fed butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup natural, no sugar added applesauce
• 1 cup grade A, organic pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup organic whole milk
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 organic eggs
• 1.5 cups unbleached All Purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 6 stalks of strawberry rhubarb, diced (or regular rhubarb is fine!)
• 2 medium sized peaches, diced

1. Pre-heat oven to 325. Fill muffin tins with liners and set aside.
2. In your Kitchen-Aid mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, applesauce, maple syrup, milk, vanilla extract and eggs together until well combined.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Fold in the diced rhubarb and peaches and fill muffin liners to 3/4 to the top of the liners.
5. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Yields approximately 20 muffins.