These moist and delicious pear muffins are my favourite thing to make when there’s an abundance of pears in the cooler months. They’re easy and quick to whip together and the brown sugar goes so well with the honey sweetness of the pears. You can keep things really simple or take them to the next level by spending a few extra minutes to brown the butter beforehand. Either way they are amazing and make the perfect breakfast or any-time-of-the-day treat!
What You’ll Need
There’s nothing fancy required for these muffins, and almost any type of pears (other than nashi pears) will do- I use William Bartlett pears here as they’re easy to find. I like to include some cinnamon and nutmeg to add a warm, spiced flavour which goes well with the honey-like flavour of the pears. Be sure to use brown sugar as it adds a caramel flavour that white sugar just wouldn’t be able to provide.
A fun fact about pears- unlike most fruit, they actually ripen from the inside out. That’s why if you’ve ever cut open an overripe pear, they tend to be more brown and mushy in the middle rather than the outside! Pears are picked before they are ripe and the best way to check if a pear is ready to eat is to put a little pressure on the area near the stem- it’ll be slightly soft when it’s ripe.
Brown Butter
Brown butter is simply butter that’s been heated until the milk proteins within become toasted and browned. It gives a nutty, complex flavour to these pear muffins and really doesn’t take much extra time or effort to make. You can do so on the stove or in the microwave.
The safest bet is to do it on the stove as you’re much less at risk of making a splattery mess in your microwave. If you do choose to use your microwave however, make sure you use a deep bowl and a large plate to cover it and check regularly to make sure it doesn’t burn. Also, be very careful as you remove the plate and bowl from the microwave as it gets VERY hot- use a tea towel or oven mitt to hold it. Above is how my browned butter turned out in the microwave when I tried it- while it was successful, it did make a bit of a mess which you can’t see here. In future, I’ll probably just stick to using the stovetop.
Of course, if it all seems like too much effort, feel free to just melt the butter as you would normally- the muffins will still taste great!
How To Store
As they are so moist, these muffins only last about 2 days at most at room temperature. To have them last a few days longer, keep them in your fridge or freeze them.
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If you try this recipe, please let us know how you went in the comments below!
Recipe Card
Pear Muffins
An easy recipe for deliciously moist brown sugar pear muffins that are spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. So simple to make, but so, so good!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup milk (animal or plant based)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (325g) flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups (300g) diced pear pieces (from approx. 3 pears, peeled)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C Fan) and grease or line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper liners.
- Melt or (optionally) brown the butter in the microwave or on the stove top (see note 1 for instructions). Allow to cool for a minute or two before continuing.
- Combine your melted/browned butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk, egg and vanilla and combine well.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and nutmeg and stir a few times to begin to combine. At this point, add the diced pears and continue mixing until it is all well combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, filling them to the top of the pan. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until risen and golden on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
1. Browning Butter:
If browning on the stove top, use a pot with a light coloured base and keep stirring as the butter begins to sizzle and froth after a few minutes. Stop once the butter has darkened slightly and the base is filled with dark specks of browned butter.
If using the microwave, use a deep bowl for your butter and a large plate to cover the top. Begin by microwaving the butter for 1-2 minutes, before checking and repeating for 30 second bursts- checking between each- until the butter has browned sufficiently. Be very careful as you check and remove the plate/bowl from the microwave as it will be VERY hot. You might also make a bit of a mess in the microwave if the butter explodes, even with plate over the top, so make sure to only use short bursts at a time!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 MuffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 240Total Fat: 8.9gSaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 37.1gFiber: 1.5gSugar: 19.4gProtein: 3.3g
Nutritional information provided is an estimation only and may differ depending on your own individual ingredients
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