Spiced Pear Bran Muffins

What do you do with an abundance of overripe pears? In the past, I've made a tasty pear crumble. But I wanted to try incorporating pears into a baked good. Apples work in muffins, so why not pears?

I'm happy to report that I succeeded at making a moist and nutritious muffin that is great for breakfast or snacks. These muffins are lowfat, high in fiber and packed with chunks of pears.

Spiced Pear Bran Muffins

• 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c oat bran
• 3/4 c wheat bran
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 c brown sugar
  
• 1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c plain, lowfat yogurt
• 1/3 c + 1 tbsp egg whites
  
• 2 tbsp oil (I use walnut oil)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 medium sized ripe pears

In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and set aside. Chop the pears into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt, egg whites, oil, and vanilla. Carefully mix together. Add the flour/bran mixture to the pear mixture. Fold the ingredients together until well combined.

Pour into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.



These muffins are very moist, so they are best consumed within a few days. Great for breakfast or as a snack.




Each muffin has about 150 calories, 3.6g fat, 5g fiber, and 4g protein.


*I wanted to avoid the added sugar and oil, but I decided both of those ingredients were needed.