Pear Pecan Muffin Recipe

This pear and pecan muffin recipe is one of my favorite ways to celebrate pear season before it slips away again. I pulled it from a magazine clipping dated 1982 from my grandmother old binder. No glossy photos, no fancy headline, just a promise of “Muffins aux poires et pacanes” and a short ingredient list that lets the fruit do most of the talking.

These muffins make beautiful use of fresh, ripe pears. As they bake, the pears turn soft and almost buttery. The result tastes cozy, not too sweet, and just special enough to feel like a treat.

They’re exactly the sort of muffins you bake after you’ve brought home more pears than you strictly needed from the farmer’s market. Pair it with a hot drink, and suddenly 1982 doesn’t feel so far away.

Marjorie B.

Pear and Pecans Muffins

The softness of the pears combines with the crunch of the pecans for a muffin you will not soon forget. Flavorful and original, they make the most of the fresh pear bounty comes harvest season.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 12 muffins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2½ cup All Purpose Flour sifted
• ¾ cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 cup Pecan roasted, chopped
• 12 Pecans, halved, for decorating
• ¼ cup Non-salted butter melted
• ¼ cup Vegetable oil
• 2 eggs Large room temperature
• 1 cup Whole milk room temperature
• ¼ cup Sour cream room temperature
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 cup Pears peeled and finely chopped

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. While oven is pre-heating, grease a muffin pan with some butter and lightly coat with flour.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, vegetable oil, milk, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Whisk together until combined.
4. Add the pears, pecans and the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredient and combine with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not to over-mix.
5. Fill each muffin mold up to 3/4 with a spoon. Top each muffin with a whole pecan. Cook in the 400F oven for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
6. Allow 10 minutes of cool down before demolding.

Notes

TIP: Adding a small ramekin of water increases the humidity in the oven to keep the muffins nice and moist during the bake but this is optional.