Friday, May 2, 2008

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.

7 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

GREAT muffin recipe for using up overripe pears - yum!

Anonymous said...

These look awesome! I've never tried pears in muffins but now I think I'll have to...

Anonymous said...

Wow Monica! those muffins look delish! I bet in fact pear is even better than apples- sweeter right?

Anyways, def a recipe to bookmark! Have a great weekenD!!

Cassie said...

Hmmmm I love pears - this are def going on my baking list!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Hey,
I just found your blog-- it's so cute :o). I'm adding you to my blogroll.

Monica said...

The muffins are awesome and still moist after 3 days. They are almost gone too! A good sign ;)

Em- you are right, the pears definitely add more sweetness. I think this is esp. true since they were overripe!

Choc. Covered Vegan- Yay! I love your blog :)

Becca said...

Yum, I'm going to have to try this recipe! Thanks for adding me to your blogroll, I have added you as well.
I actually am from the Twin Cities, I moved about 3 years ago and have been trying to move back ever since!!