Seasonal Spiced Pear Walnut (Printable)

Aromatic muffins with juicy pears, crunchy walnuts, and warm spices for cozy mornings or treats.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

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

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. 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.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vegetable oil (or melted butter), milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended.
04 - Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined; avoid overmixing to keep muffins tender.
05 - Fold in the diced pears and chopped walnuts evenly through the batter.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
08 - Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pears turn jammy and sweet in the oven, so every bite has a little pocket of fruit that tastes like fall.
  • You can mix the batter in one bowl without a mixer, which means less cleanup and more eating.
  • They stay moist for days, and they freeze so well you can pull one out on a rushed morning and feel like you planned ahead.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter will give you tough, rubbery muffins with tunnels running through them, so stir until the flour just disappears.
  • If your pears are too ripe, they'll break down into mush and make the batter wet, so choose fruit that's soft but still holds its shape when you press it.
  • Don't skip the five-minute rest in the tin after baking, or the muffins will stick to the liners and fall apart when you try to peel them.
03 -
  • Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet for five minutes before chopping them, and the flavor will deepen into something almost caramel-like.
  • If you want extra-moist muffins, brush the tops with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
  • Use a light hand when folding in the pears and nuts, or you'll knock out all the air you worked to build into the batter.
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