Thursday, August 2, 2007

Pear Pie Muffins

We have two pear trees in our backyard & therefore lots of ripe pears. This was the perfect recipe. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but was definitely hoping for yummy & delicious results. Since I've learned my lesson about baking gone bad with frozen and fresh fruits, I halved the recipe. Next time I want to try using all whole wheat flour, or part whole wheat & part whole wheat pastry. The pears were really ripe therefore added a lot of moisture that I think whole wheat can handle. I might try patting off the pears to remove some of the excess liquid...wish I had a food dehydrator. Or I may need to use firmer pears that excrete less liquid and roll them in flour. Since I did not halve the spices + the moisture = muffins that tasted like apple pie...which is a good thing since I like full flavors, but the result was too soggy. Next time I will increase the amount of baking powder to 3 teaspoons & if baking for my parents, slightly decrease the amount of sugar. Fresh out of the oven, the muffin tops were crunchy and of course my favorite part. I veganized the recipe using ener-g egg replacer. I will definitely be making these again this weekend. Another recipe & additional pear info.
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Pear Pie Muffins
1/2 cup AP flour (whole wheat or ww pastry)
3/8 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder (3 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tblspn softened butter
3/8 cup brown sugar
1 ener-g egg replacer (1 1/2 tsp + 2 tblspn warm water)
1/4 cup vanilla soy yogurt (Stonyfield Farm O'Soy)

1 cup diced pears (2 small bartletts, firmer unripe)
  • Preheat oven 375F. Line 6 muffin tins with liners.
  • In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & ginger, whisk together to mix.
  • In another bowl, cream butter & sugar. Add "egg" & yogurt & thoroughly whisk together.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry & stir only till just combined (never overmix muffin batter). Add pears and stop when distributed.
  • Divide among 6 tins, which will look quite full. (I filled two of the empty tins with water, but will not do this next time since the muffins are already moist). Bake for about 18 - 23 minutes, until tester comes out clean.
  • Cool on wire rack and serve warm or cold.

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