Seasonal Spiced Pear Muffins (Printable)

Moist, aromatic muffins with juicy pears, crunchy walnuts, and warm spices for cozy treats.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
08 - 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
11 - 1/2 cup whole milk or plant-based milk
12 - 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
13 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Fruit & Nuts

14 - 2 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored, and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
15 - 3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease it.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil (or melted butter), milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
04 - Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, taking care not to overmix to preserve tenderness.
05 - Fold the diced pears and chopped walnuts into the batter evenly.
06 - Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
08 - Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They turn out tender and moist every time, even if you swap ingredients or use overripe pears.
  • The warm spice blend fills your kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people wander in asking what's baking.
  • You can mix the batter in one bowl without fuss, and they freeze beautifully for weeks.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the batter or your muffins will turn out dense and rubbery instead of light.
  • Pears that are too soft will turn to mush in the oven, so choose fruit that's ripe but still holds its shape.
  • If you skip the cooling rack and leave them in the tin, the bottoms will get soggy from trapped steam.
03 -
  • Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion the batter evenly and save yourself the mess.
  • If your pears are extra juicy, toss the diced pieces in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in to keep the batter from getting watery.
  • Let the batter rest for five minutes before scooping, it helps the leaveners activate and gives you a better rise.
Return