Strawberry-Rhubarb Muffins

Strawberries and rhubarb show up at the market together in spring, and these muffins put both to good use. Tossing the fruit with a little sugar first pulls out extra juice, so the muffins bake up tender instead of soggy.

Makes 12 · 40 minutes, plus cooling

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
• 1 cup small-diced fresh strawberries (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup small-diced fresh rhubarb (about 4 ounces)
• 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (227 g) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1½ cups (192 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (60 g) medium-grind or fine cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon demerara or turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. If your pan isn't nonstick, give the exposed metal a quick coat of cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries and rhubarb with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let them sit.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining sugar (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) with the melted butter and eggs for about 30 seconds, until pale, smooth and shiny. Whisk in the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest just until smooth.
4. In another bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add them to the wet mixture and stir only until no dry streaks remain.
5. Tip the fruit into a strainer and stir it gently so the juice drains off; discard the liquid. Fold the fruit into the batter.
6. Scoop the batter into the lined cups. They will be full to the top and a little mounded. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
7. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move the muffins to a rack to cool completely.

Tips

• If the tops bake into one another, separate them with a paring knife as soon as the pan comes out of the oven, then gently slide the knife under the edges to free them from the pan.
• Stone-ground or medium-grind cornmeal gives the most texture, but fine cornmeal works as well.

Adapted from Lidey Heuck, NYT Cooking.