Pear Yogurt Muffins: Think Fall

I can't remember a Fall when I cooked and baked more pears and apples. Chutneys, pies, cakes, and jellies have lined the cooling racks and pantry shelves through September and October giving my kitchen a sweet nostalgic smell.

I thought I'd gotten it all out of my system after we pressed 20 gallons of cider from my parents' farm apples, but then I stumbled upon some lovely red pears at the market and this Pear Yogurt Muffin recipe was born. Moist and crisp, these little guys embody a fall morning.

Recipe

1 ½ c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 ½ Tbls vanilla
1 Tbls lemon zest
1 c. packed brown sugar
4 Tbls melted butter
Scant ¼ c. canola oil
¾ c. plain yogurt
¼ c. apple cider or apple juice
2 large pears, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400

Mix together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, vanilla, zest, sugar, butter, oil, yogurt, and cider. Set aside enough trios of pear slices to adorn 6 muffins (18 slices!), and then cut the slices in half so you have enough for 12 (36 halves!). Chop the rest of the pear and add to the egg mixture. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Do not over mix!

Pour batter into prepared muffin pan (either filled with muffin papers or oiled or buttered) and then top each cup with 3 halved pear slices, sticking them in so they stand up like a sail or a shark fin, depending on your mood. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted into a muffin comes out clean. (I recommend letting them bake long enough to crisp a little at the edges, like in the photo.)

Cool to room temperature, if you can wait that long (I couldn't). Eat up.

Contrary to baking rule of thumb, these muffins are even tastier the second day.

Enjoy.