Sweet Pear and Roasted Walnut Muffins
Sweet canned pears and crunchy roasted walnuts are a match made in heaven for these ultra tender and moist muffins!
Equipment
- 1 baking stone, cast iron or a pizza stone both work!
- 1 sheet tray
- 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins
Ingredients
Roasted Walnuts
- 1 cup (100 g) walnut pieces
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see notes)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (249 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
- 1 ½ cups (297 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 2 (37 g) egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 (50 g) large egg, room temperature
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) canola oil
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) buttermilk, see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, optional
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) heavy cream, (don't add to wet until whipped!)
Mix-In
- 1 ½ cups canned pears, drained well and patted dry on paper towels, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger (optional)
Optional Topping
- 3 tablespoons Coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Arrange a shelf on the lower third of the oven and place a baking stone on it. Preheat the oven to 350℉. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!!
- Roast the Walnuts & Chop: Spread the walnuts evenly on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or parchment paper and roast the walnuts for approximately ten minutes or until fragrant and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and stir in the tablespoon of butter, tossing it with the nuts to coat them evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt on the nuts and stir to combine. Set aside and allow to cool before chopping into small pieces.
- Turn the Oven Temperature up to 425℉.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and sugar. Mix well to combine.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients (minus the heavy cream): In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and egg, then mix in the oil, vanilla, and buttermilk.
- Add the Wet Ingredients to the Dry Ingredients: Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Using a hand mixer or a fork, beat the mixture well. If you are using candied ginger, you can add it to the mixture now.
- Whip the Heavy Cream: In a cold bowl with cold beaters, whip the heavy cream until medium peaks form. The whipped cream will hold its shape but not be stiff. Be careful not to overbeat the whipped cream as the butterfat will start to form lumps
- Fold In the Whipped Heavy Cream & Mix-Ins: Using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently fold in 1/4 of the whipped cream to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Gently fold in the pears and walnuts.
- Fill the Muffin Tins: Spray the muffin tins with non-stick spray or line them with cupcake liners. Fill the muffin pans nearly to the top. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of the batter evenly. Leave the extra batter on the counter at room temperature if you only have one muffin tin.
- Bake the Muffins: Turn the oven down to 400℉. Place the pans into the oven on the baking stone. Bake the muffins until they are well-risen, approximately 20-22 minutes. When the muffins are fully cooked, they will spring back to the touch. Alternatively, insert a toothpick and ensure it comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven, allow to cool for approximately 5 minutes in the pan, and then gently remove them using an offset spatula. They are very delicate and tender so be careful not to break them. Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack. If you are re-using the pan to make a second batch of muffins with the remaining batter, allow the pan to cool for several minutes before refilling them.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Shirley O. Corriher's BakeWise Sweet Pears and Crunchy, Roasted Walnut Muffins (pg. 133).
- These are VERY tender muffins so don't be afraid to stir the batter vigorously - Shirley recommends this in her book.
- You can swap fresh pears in this recipe. I would pick Bartlett, anjou, or Bosc. Make sure they are nice and ripe!
- Feel free to play around with spices - cardamom would work nicely here or a little bit of nutmeg.
- If you make muffins in a different size pan you'll need to adjust the baking time. Generally, mini muffins will take about 8 to 10 minutes, and jumbo will take 22-25 minutes. Your best bet is to monitor the muffins by site and texture.