Pear and muesli muffins

Pear and muesli muffins (image courtesy Sydney Markets)

Long time readers of this little blog might have realised that I have a thing for pears. 

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Actually, I could go so far as to say that I adore them. Not only do they taste great...  pears are packed with nutrition, are high in fibre, potassium and essential vitamins (such as thiamine, riboflavin and vitamin C); and are low GI. What's more, they have virtually no fat or cholesterol, and are non-allergenic, so they're perfect for those like me, who have a few pesky food intolerances or allergies.

Another of their qualities is theirs looks. Pears look superb, particularly when presented whole in desserts or baked goods, such as these rather gorgeous-looking pear and muesli muffins, brought to you courtesy of the good folks at Sydney Markets. For more information about pears, visit the Australian Pears website. You might also like to explore a few of my very own pear-based recipes. 

​PEAR & MUESLI MUFFINS
6 small (about 140g each) just-ripe ​pears (i.e. Williams or Packham) 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
1½ cups self-raising flour, sifted 
⅓ cup caster sugar 
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
¾ cup buttermilk 
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten 
½ cup rice bran or vegetable oil 
¾ cup natural muesli 
2 tablespoons demerara sugar or raw sugar

Preheat oven 180°C fan-forced. Line a 6-hole x ¾-cup capacity muffin pan with café papers or large muffin papers.

Cut 3cm from the top of each pear, leaving the stem intact. Set tops aside. Quarter, core and finely chop three of the remaining pears. Gently toss chopped pears in lemon juice. The remaining unchopped pears are not required for this recipe – give them to the kids to nibble on while the muffins are baking.

Combine flour, caster sugar and spices in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and oil in a jug until well combined. Add buttermilk mixture, chopped pears (drain juice) and ½ cup muesli to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined (don’t overmix).

Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Gently press a pear top (stem-side up) into the centre of each muffin. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup muesli and the demerara or raw sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes in pan then turn out onto a wire rack to cool and serve. Preparation time 25 minutes | Cooking time 25 minutes + cooling time | Makes 6.

Recipe and image appear kind courtesy of Sydney Markets. Note, this is not a sponsored post.

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Tell me dear readers, do you love pears as much as I do? What's your favourite way of eating them or cooking with them?