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These Pear Ginger Muffins are full of chunks of sweet pears, toasted almonds, and sweet and spicy crystallized ginger. The perfect muffin to start the weekend with!
This recipe and photos have been updated from the original post on 10/23/15.
Pears and ginger are such a good flavor combination. I love the sweetness of the pears with the fresh, slightly spicy bite of the ginger. Ginger is a common ingredient in many fall and winter spiced baked goods.
Many pumpkin recipes like these creamy pumpkin pie bars use ginger. Then of course, it’s a key spice in these chewy ginger molasses cookies and gingerbread chocolate chip muffins.
One of my favorite winter muffins to make when pears are in season are these pear ginger muffins. My grandma introduced me to this recipe years ago and since then I’ve made some changes and bumped up the ginger flavor. Not only do these muffins use ground ginger, but chunks of crystalized ginger as well. They’re perfect to make for a weekend breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients Needed to Make Pear Ginger Muffins
- whole wheat pastry flour
- baking powder and baking soda
- ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom
- plain Greek yogurt
- maple syrup
- eggs
- melted coconut oil or olive oil
- vanilla extract and almond extract
- pears
- slivered almonds
- crystallized ginger
- raw (turbinado) sugar (optional)
How to Make Pear Ginger Muffins
This is a basic muffin recipe and you won’t need any special equipment to make them. Start by combining the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, oil and extracts.
Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and fold them together with a rubber spatula. Stir in the diced pears, almonds and crystalized ginger. Divide the batter evenly into a standard 12 cup muffin pan. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on the tops and bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Tips For the Best Muffins
- Don’t over mix the muffin batter. Fold it together with a rubber spatula just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Don’t with the wet ingredients into the dry because this will work the gluten in the flour too much and you’ll have a tough, chewy muffin.
- If you use liners I suggest going with parchment paper liners to ensure that the muffins don’t stick to them at all. You can also spray the muffin pan with cooking spray. If you make muffins without liners they will be darker on the edges and slightly shorter in height. I prefer the darker, slightly “crusty” edges.
- Fill the muffin cups 2/3 – 3/4 of the way full. I’ve found that if you fill them all the way to the top you’re more likely to end up with a flat top vs. a dome.
- Use a cookie scoop like this one to scoop out the batter. This will ensure that you have equal amounts in each muffin cup and that they bake evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Have to Use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour?
No. You can substitute with regular whole wheat, white whole wheat, all purpose or a combination of half whole wheat and half all purpose. If you use regular whole wheat flour, be aware that the muffins will have a denser texture. Whole wheat pastry flour yields lighter baked goods without sacrificing the whole grains.
What is Crystallized Ginger?
Crystallized ginger, sometimes called candied ginger, is pieces of fresh peeled ginger root that have been cooked in a simple syrup, rolled in sugar and then dried. The result is a crisp sweet exterior and a soft and chewy middle.
What Kind of Pears Should I Use?
Anjou or Bosc pears work best for baking. They hold their shape well, are easy to peel and won’t turn to mush in the muffins after they bake.
Do the Muffins Freeze Well?
Yes. If you plan to freeze these muffins I would skip adding turbinado sugar to the tops. It will just get sticky and lose it’s crunch when the muffins are defrosted.
Pear Ginger Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom optional
- 1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup diced pear peeling is optional
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup crystalized ginger chopped
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. and spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper muffin cups.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, oil, vanilla and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and stir together with a rubber spatula just until combined.
- Fold the pear, almonds and crystalized ginger into the muffin batter then divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar then place them on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for several minutes before removing them onto a wire cooling rack or serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Muffin Recipes
The perfect fall inspired muffin.. I have got to try these!
Thanks Thalia!
I am definitely trying these muffins…they sound like something my family would really like.
I hope you and your family enjoy them Kristen!
These look delicious. I always drool over Wolf kitchen appliances!
Ha! Me too Lizz! :-)
Its nice to see a tasty fall muffin recipe that doesn’t have something to do ith pumpkin or apples lol! These look amazing!
Haha! Exactly Bethany and thank you! :-)
I use my countertop oven all the time and love it but it’s getting up there in age and I have been looking for a new one. The Wolf countertop oven looks wonderful.
Sounds like the Wolf countertop oven would be the perfect replacement Annamarie! Good luck!
What a beautiful oven! I don’t have a double oven so this would be perfect for my holiday baking. And in the summer when it’s too hot to turn on the oven – this would be perfect!
Those were my thoughts exactly Susan!
This recipe sounds incredible. I love the combination of pear and ginger and any baked good with buttermilk has to be delicious!
Thank you Debbie! Buttermilk always makes baked goods a little more delicious!
These muffins look super yummy, I’d love to win this great looking toaster oven!
Thank you and good luck!
Oh what a great looking oven. Just had wonderful 16 year old granddaughter here and
we were sharing the kitchen as she LOVES to cook. Love your columns with such
great recipes…..healthy and easy with interesting ingredients. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Donna! One of my favorite memories is cooking and baking in the kitchen with my grandma! :-)
Good Heavens! Your muffins look fabulous, but that WOLF is to DIE FOR! Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
ErinLoves2Run at gmail dot com
Thanks Erin! You would love the Wolf oven, it’s gorgeous and so handy!