I recently started a new job that exponentially increased the amount of cardio I do every week which means I am now hungry all the time. I have to keep snacks close by everywhere I go, and I wake up so ravenous that cooking anything before snapping at someone isn’t always possible. In order to preserve my relationships, I’ve started baking things ahead of time for breakfast, and it’s been a great reminder of how much I love muffins. They’re the best! Aside from being adorable and perfectly sized for snacking they’re also super versatile and easy to make. You can put pretty much anything in a muffin and find a way to make it delicious. Muffins were also the official breakfast of my grad school years because for some reason I love to make them when I’m stressed. I think it’s because they take little effort but give the payout of deliciousness, they make your home smell amazing while they bake and make surviving mornings much much easier. Truly, if you’re not a morning person and/or are susceptible to hanger, I suggest you get on the muffin train.
I’ve made tons of muffin recipes and rarely meet one I don’t like, but these spiced pear beauties are some of my favorites. They’re reminiscent of fall due to the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, the buttermilk counters the sweetness of the pears, and they’re substantial enough for breakfast but light enough that they wont make you crash on the job two hours later. I chose pears for these because I love the way they soften while baking till the point that they almost taste like pie filling when you bite into the muffin, especially when it’s warm. Please eat these while they’re still warm. They’d be amazing with apples, peaches, or a crumb topping too, and they’re just the right amount of buttery. These are definitely not dense, dry, bland muffins that will leave you desperate for a glass of water, they may make you want an extra cup of coffee and more time to sit around and eat muffins in the morning though. Take 30 minutes to make these over the weekend and come Monday morning you’ll be so glad you did.
Buttermilk Pear Spice Muffins
Ingredients:
2 pears, cored and cubed
2 cups all purpose flour (240g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon brandy or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter your muffin tin or fill with cupcake liners
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer. Next stir in the eggs and brandy or vanilla extract, followed by half the four mixture, and half the buttermilk. Stir until combined then add the remaining flour and buttermilk. Mix until everything is incorporated, then fold in the pears.
- Fill your prepared muffin tin, then bake for 18-20 minutes!
- Move to an oven rack to cool…
and as soon as they’re cool enough to handle, eat some muffin!
