Pear and Granola Muffins

Makes 12 (I was able to squeeze 16 muffins from this recipe.)

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

My husband and I LOVED these muffins.  I plan to serve the rest of the batch along with hot coffee to the fellas at band rehearsal tonight.  The crunchy granola topping is a perfect foil to the bits of soft, juicy, sweet pears inside. Enjoy these muffins for breakfast, in your Easy Lunchbox, at teatime or anytime you need a snack.

           

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour.)                      

2 teaspoons baking powder              

1/2 teaspoon salt                   

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon                     

2 large eggs, room temperature                     

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar.)                     

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used non-fat plain Greek yogurt.)                

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted                       

2 perfectly ripe D'Anjou pears (2 cups), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

¾ cup plain granola (I bought just enough plain granola from the bulk section at Lost River Market & Deli for this recipe.)

           

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and butter. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to well, and mix in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the granola and pears.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Sprinkle with granola topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. (My oven bakes cool, so it took 25 minutes for my batch to finish baking.) Cool 5 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.