Hello, friends! Today, I am sharing a super scrumptious, easy, and perfectly autumnal muffin recipe! I don't make muffins often, but they are one of my favorite things. I guess I can't be very surprised, since they are basically little single servings of quick-bread {which I also love}! These little babies have caramelized, melt-in-your-mouth bites of pear, a rich hint of browned butter swirled throughout, all in a warm blanket of spiced, soft dough. Swoon!
The flavor in these muffins is seriously unbelievable. They are incredibly moist and soft, and the big chunks of pear are delicious! I honestly don't know why pear isn't used more often in desserts... I feel like it gets overshadowed by the ubiquitous pumpkin and apple during the fall, and while it gets some action in the winter, it's still rare to find a recipe with pears! Not to say that I'VE really been doing anything about that problem, since the only recipe on here is this scrumptious Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Pear Cake from like two years ago... oops. And yes, as you can see, browned butter + pears = true love. I mean it. If you're going to bake one singular thing this season, please oh PLEASE make it these muffins! They are so easy and have such a great flavor payoff. Happy fall, y'all!
- *for the caramelized pears*
- 2 pears, peeled, cored, and diced
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- *for the muffin batter*
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup {1 stick} butter
- 1 cup {one 8 oz container} sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 400F, and fit a muffin tin with liners.
- In a small nonstick pot, combine the diced pears, white sugar, cinnamon, and water, and heat to medium.
- Stir occasionally, until the sugar melts and thickens, and the pears soften. Turn off heat and set aside to cool.
- In a separate small pot {preferably not nonstick}, brown the butter. To do this, melt the stick of butter over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Allow the butter to bubble and boil, and keep whisking until tiny brown flecks start to form at the bottom, and the butter smells nutty. Immediately remove from heat, and let cool.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and white and brown sugars.
- Pour in the cooled browned butter, along with the vanilla, cinnamon, and sour cream, and whisk to combine.
- Switch to a spatula or spoon, and add in the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing until JUST combined.
- Pour in the caramelized pears, along with any liquid that might be in the pot, and lightly mix.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffins, then bake for 20-22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out with just a couple of crumbs.
Katerina says
I must try this browned butter at some point. Must be very tasty! Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. All posts get pinned in our pinterest board! Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on culinaryflavors.gr ! I hope to see you there!
Sydney says
I am planning on making these tonight and I've read the directions several times, and can't find the step to add the sour cream? I can definitely figure that out on my own - would just like to make sure sour cream is supposed to be in the recipe.
[email protected] says
I am so sorry! Sour cream is definitely supposed to be in the recipe, I guess I just forgot to add it in a step! Thank you for pointing it out 🙂 Happy baking!
Alexa Nernberg says
I must admit that I am not really a pear fan, but these muffins sound pretty good and I plan to try your recipe. Thanks.
Alexa Nernberg says
I look forward to trying your recipe. These muffins look and sound really good.