These pear muffins are light, moist and delicious. With wholemeal flour and not to much sugar they are a healthyish treat the whole family will love.
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Pears are just about the perfect Autumn (fall) fruit. Naturally sweet and juicy, along with apples and feijoas they always make me think of bright crisp mornings and cozy evenings.
I have a huge sweet tooth but there are times when you just want something light and fresh without to much sugar. These light, moist, almost healthy muffins are the answer. Made with minimal sugar and wholemeal (whole grain) flour they are healthyish treat the whole family will love. Pearfect for a picnic, school lunches, afternoon tea or just because!
Ingredients
Pears: I use Pakenham pears in Australia when they are sweet and juicy and in peak season in Autumn (Fall). You can use any type of pears you like as long as they are starting to ripen and not to firm. You could also try these with tinned pear pieces. If so I recommend pears in juice, not syrup to reduce the sugar and make sure they are very well drained or your muffins will be soggy.
White Self raising flour: white self raising flour is best for this recipe. You could also you all purpose flour mixed with baking powder if you prefer to make your own.
Wholemeal self raising flour: also known as whole wheat flour, gives these muffins some light nutty notes. You can make your own wholemeal self raising flour by combining plain wholemeal flour with baking flour. Or you if you're not fan you could just use plain self raising flour in these muffins, but they won't have the same depth of flavor.
Brown sugar: also known as light brown sugar, adds to the caramel notes of this recipe. You could use white sugar if the same amount if you prefer, or experiment with dark brown sugar.
Butter: adds some much needed fats to these muffins. For a non dairy alternative you can try substituting with margarine but I haven't tested these muffins with this.
Eggs: I use large eggs in this recipe, approx. 55 gms each with shells before cracking.
Milk: I use full cream milk in pretty much all my recipes because it tastes better. In this recipe you could use reduced fat if you prefer.
Natural yogurt: some natural yogurt keeps these muffins nice and moist and balances out the sweetness. I used full fat natural greek yogurt for maximum flavor and minimum sugar. You could use another type of yogurt, but if you are using low fat, low sugar or non non dairy yogurt this will affect the flavor of the muffins, and I have not tested the recipe with these varieties.
I have also used sour cream in place of natural yogurt when I ran out of yogurt and it worked perfectly well in these muffins.
Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.
Cinnamon: a little ground cinnamon adds some warmth and flavor to these muffins. You could mix things up with other spices such as nutmeg or ground ginger if you like.
How to make pear muffins
Pre-heat your oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan forced). Grease your muffin tins or line with patty pans.
Add the plain flour, wholemeal flour, brown sugar and cinnamon to a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs, milk and yogurt to a bowl and mix well. Add the vanilla and mix well. Melt the butter in a microwave proof bowl in the microwave but do not add it to the wet ingredients.
Peel, core slice the muffins into small to medium sized pieces.
Add the wet ingredients, melted butter and sliced pears to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Its important not to overmix the muffins or you will end up with dense, chewy muffins that won't rise properly.
Hot tip: Baking the muffins for a few minutes in a hotter oven, then reducing the temperature for the rest of the baking time helps the muffins rise and give then that more classic domed look. Its a little more work but its worth it!
Spoon into the muffin tins. Bake for five minutes at 425°F (220°C/200°C fan forced), then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan forced) and bake for another fifteen minutes, or until golden on top.
How to serve
To serve put on the kettle for a cuppa, pop onto a plate and enjoy! Delicious warm from the oven or cold later on.
How to store
These fruit muffins will store well in an airtight container on the bench for up to two days. You can also freeze them by wrapping them individually and freezing for upto two months. To defrost remove from freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature or pop them into a microwave for a few seconds.
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📖 Recipe
Pear muffins
Equipment
- Muffin tins
- Patty pans (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150gms) white self raising flour
- 1 cup (150gms) wholemeal self raising flour
- ½ cup (110gms) tightly packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup natural yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup (1 stick plus one tablespoon /125gms) butter
- 1 & ½ medium pears (about 300gms)
- extra butter to grease muffin tins, or patty pans
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan forced) and grease the muffin tins or line with patty pans.
- Add plain and wholemeal flour, sugar and cinnamon to a bowl and mix.
- In another bowl add the eggs, milk, yogurt and vanilla and mix well.
- Melt the butter in a microwave proof bowl, but don't add it yet.
- Peel, core and dice the pears.
- Add the wet ingredients, melted butter and pears to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until Just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tins.
- Bake for five minutes at 425°F (220°C/200°C fan forced).
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan forced) and bake for a further fifteen minute or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately while still warm, or pop them aside for later for up to three days.
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