Pumpkin Pear Muffins
These muffins are the perfect answer to fall pumpkin cravings. The pear and oats add a little healthy twist to take any guilt out of these sweet, spiced muffins. They are great for weekend breakfast, a brunch with friends or an afternoon snack.
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin pan, standard size
- paper muffin liners
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Muffin
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ¾ cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 small ripe but firm pear, cored and cut into small pieces (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- To make topping: stir together flour, brown sugar and oats in a small bowl. Add butter and mix in with fingertips or two forks until well blended and crumbly. Set aside.
- To make muffins: stir together flour, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir together pumpkin, brown sugar and melted butter with rubber spatula or wooden spoon in a large bowl until blended. Add eggs, one at time, mixing well with each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir just until flour is no longer visible. Fold in pears and evenly mix.
- Divide muffin batter among prepared muffin cups (batter will come almost to top of each cup). Spoon streusel topping evenly on each muffin. Bake in center of preheated oven 21 to 23 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan on cooling grid for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out of pan and cool completely on cooling grid.
- Makes 12 muffins.