by Diana Rattray
With chunks of fresh pears, warm spices, and sour cream, these muffins are loaded with texture and flavor. I added chopped pecans to the muffins, but because they are so versatile, you can add just about any chopped nut, dried fruit, or chocolate chip. White chocolate chips would be great, too. Enjoy these moist pear muffins for breakfast, brunch, or snacks. They travel well, too! Add a muffin to a lunch box or take them along to a breakfast meeting or coffee get-together with friends.
Recipe Tips
- Have the oven preheated and the ingredients measured and ready to go before you start. Once you combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, the leavening begins, so be ready to scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake as soon as you’re done mixing.
- Pears—Bosc, Bartlett, and Anjou are excellent pears for baking. I used Bosc pears in this recipe. The pears should be ripe yet fairly firm. This will give you the best texture. If you do use over-ripe pears, reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons.
- Avoid Overmixing—Mixing the batter too much can activate the gluten in the flour and make the muffins dense and tough. When adding the flour mixture, mix it in slowly just until it blended into the batter, then gently fold in the pears and pecans.
- Spices—Cinnamon and nutmeg added warmth and light spice flavor. If you like more, feel free to adjust. Try adding a pinch of allspice or a dash of cloves.
- Gluten-Free—A cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend—one with xanthan gum in the list of ingredients—works well as a one-to-one replacement for the all-purpose flour.
Toppings for Pear Muffins
A light sprinkling of turbinado sugar before they go in the oven, gives the muffins a shiny top. You could also top them with a streusel mixture or larger grain sugar, such as sparkling sugar. Or drizzle the finished muffins with a quick icing made with 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Or add a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice to the icing mixture.
Spreads for Muffins and Quick Breads
A fruity or sweet spread or jam adds flavor to a muffin or quick bread. Here are a few quick ideas for spreads:
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread: Combine 4 ounces of cream cheese with 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
Maple Butter: Beat 1/2 cup of softened salted butter with 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
Cream Cheese Jam Spread: Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of fruit jam to 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 4 ounces of softened unsalted butter; beat until blended.
Orange Honey Butter: Beat 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter with 1 tablespoon of honey and 3 tablespoons of sweet marmalade fruit spread.
Whipped Cranberry Butter: Beat 8 ounces of softened unsalted butter with 1 teaspoon of orange zest and 1/3 cup of whole cranberry sauce or homemade cranberry relish.
Recipe Variations
Spices—Replace the spices with 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
Sour Cream—Swap out the sour cream with the same amount of Green yogurt.
Nuts—Replace pecans with walnuts, pistachios, hulled pumpkin seeds, almonds, or macadamia nuts.
Dried Fruit—Add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries or raisins to the batter.
Date Pear Muffins: Add 1/2 cup of chopped dates to the batter.
Orange Pear Muffins: Add 2 teaspoons of orange zest to the batter and drizzle the baked muffins with an icing made with 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and 2 tablespoons of milk.
How To Store Muffins
- These muffins can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze muffins, cool them completely and transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Label the container with the name and date and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
- To warm a muffin, place it on a paper towel or napkin and microwave on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Alternatively, wrap a muffin with foil and heat in a preheated 350 F oven for about 10 minutes.
Pear Muffins
Pear muffins are moist, tender, and perfectly spiced! Brighten your day with these surprisingly simple muffins!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen 1x
- Category: Muffins, Pears
Ingredients
- 2 medium pears
- 1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (raw cane sugar)
Instructions
- Peel and core the pears, then either finely dice them or grate on the large holes of a box grater.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl; whisk to blend and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and milk until just blended. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold the diced pears and walnuts, if using, into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each well about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If desired, sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 5 minutes at 425 F.
- Reduce the temperature to 350 F and continue baking for 18 to 24 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove them to a wire rack to cool.
