Roasted Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

Conversation at our house earlier this week...

Me: Look, I made you muffins.

David: Those muffins aren't for me.

Me: Why do you say that?

David: They don't have chocolate.

Me: Oh? Well, they could still be for you.

David: They are pretty. You made them for the blog.

Me: Guilty smile.

Yes, I was busted. These were definitely blog muffins. But, they didn't start out that way. I was just going to make some nice simple rhubarb streusel muffins.
I'm not sure what got into me the day I decided to make these muffins. Somehow I got it in my head to turn them into flowers. I thought that the almond petals would stay in place and the batter would rise up around them. It didn't quite turn out that way. Honestly, they didn't all turn out looking so great. Some were perfect like the one above, but others looked more like coneflowers. They were all a pain to get out of the muffin tin without breaking off the petals. I ended up discovering that they were pretty easy to replace, just stick the pointy end of the almond back into the warm muffin. If I was to do this again I would just toast the almonds ahead of time and then stick them in the muffins when they came out of the oven. I don't see myself having that much patience again for a while. The muffins were really tasty, so I will definitely be making them again. Next time I'm just going to mix the rhubarb in and sprinkle the streusel and almonds on top and maybe then David will believe that I made the muffins for him. I wonder how they would taste with chocolate?

Roasted Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
adapted from Sweet Paul Magazine

Roasted Rhubarb:
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Streusel Topping:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Muffins:
10 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon for an extra kick)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To Roast the Rhubarb:
In a small bowl combine rhubarb with brown sugar, then scatter is across a baking sheet. Bake until the rhubarb is soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

For the Streusel:
Using a pastry blender or fingers, combine butter, flour, and brown sugar. Stir in chopped almonds. Set aside.

For the Muffins:
Beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Combine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add flour to butter mixture and mix well. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently add roasted rhubarb to mix in.  Equally divide batter between 12 lined muffin cups, each well will be about 2/3 full. Top with streusel and almond topping. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing muffins and serving.