Dreamy easy muffin recipe with bold pear and vanilla flavours. Perfect for kids and lunch boxes! These muffins freeze well.
What goes better with pear than vanilla? Well, caramel is technically the correct answer, but vanilla is a very close second! Although, I don’t mind exposing my girls to a bit of sugar, caramel would most likely send them into a sugar tailspin.
These Pear and Vanilla Muffins are a hit every year with my kids! We just went apple and pear picking a couple of weekends ago (over at Willow View Farm …. seriously a very cute apple farm with lots of play area and baby goats to feed for the kids) and I had a ton of pears and apples to use up.
These muffins are moist, tender, and have the perfect level of sweetness. I also go overboard with the pear. Baked then puréed to add to the batter, chopped and added into the batter for good measure. Your kids will go crazy for these. If you leave them any that is.
When my twins were around 9 months old, I had the hardest time finding age appropriate snacks. Something that’s easy for them to pick up to work on their physical development, a different texture than their purées, and so forth.
I love a good muffin and thought that if I could cut the sugar and add more fruit it would be a win-win situation. Since they can finish a whole muffin (shared between the two of them) in one seating, I think I hit the jackpot.
This easy muffin recipe does call for butter and some sugar. That’s why I recommend serving this to babies who are 9 months of age and older. And, as always, ensure your baby has tried all these products previously to avoid any allergic reactions.
Love an easy muffin recipe? Here are a few more:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract plus a dash for baking pears
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 medium pears 1 roughly chopped into small baby bite-size pieces and 1 thinly sliced for topping. Any variety will work.
- 1 cup pear purée* from four medium sized pears chopped
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Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
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Place chopped pears and a dash of vanilla extract into a baking pan or on a tray. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a blender. Blend on high until purée is formed. Set aside.*
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Grease muffin pan and reduce oven temperature to 350° F.
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In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and brown sugar until combined well. Add the melted butter, a little at a time, whisking until mixture is creamy. Add pear puree.
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Stir in the pear purée (or apple sauce), then fold in the flour mixture until just moistened. Add chopped pear and fold in.
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Divide batter among muffin cups, then lightly push two to three thin slices of pear into the top of the muffins.
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Bake the muffins until golden, about 17-20 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan, and cool slightly before serving.
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* Pear purée can be made up to 2 days before you bake the muffins. Place in an airtight container and keep in fridge until needed. I chop and bake pear the day before. If you can find store bought pear purée that is also fine. If you're in a rush and want an easy solution use apple sauce (unsweetened).
Enjoy! xo
Recipe inspired by Inspired Taste
