Vanilla Roasted Pear Muffins

After enjoying these ambrosial pears with our roasted chicken dinner the other night, I took the leftovers and pureed them, strained out (and saved to freeze) as much juice as I could, and ended up with a cup of beautiful pear sauce. This provided just the right ingredient for perfectly moist, tender muffins that actually did have a faint taste of pear, which is difficult to taste in most baked goods. The streusel provided just enough sweet crunch.

Vanilla Roasted Pear Muffins
Makes about 48 mini muffins*

Muffins
2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup vanilla roasted pear puree (from this recipe)


Streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup salted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.

For streusel, mix flour, sugars, and cinnamon; cut in butter with a pastry cutter until small crumbs are formed.

For muffins, whisk together flour and spices; set aside. Mix together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; set aside.

Combine sugars, oil, and pear puree; add buttermilk mixture and mix until well blended. Fold in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly in pans; sprinkle streusel over tops. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

*Although the recipe indicates 48 muffins, I ended up with enough batter for an additional dozen regular sized muffins.

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

These delicious muffins are Ina Garten's Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins recipe with a streusel topping. The moist, coffee cake-like muffins with sweet bursts of blueberry are even better with a cinnamony crumble topping. The streusel recipe is one I developed when I baked pastries for Java Dave's coffee shop in Edmond, OK, and it adds a sweetly delicate crunch to any muffin.

We enjoyed these for breakfast this morning with eggs and sausage.

Blueberry Crumble Muffins
adapted from Ina Garten's Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins
Makes 12 regular muffins or 6 jumbo muffins

6 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons 1% milk
1-1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons flour

Crumble Topping
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon King Arthur vanilla sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tin with baking spray or cupcake liners.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Mix sour cream, milk, and vanilla; add to batter, mixing well. In separate bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; gently mix into batter in three additions. Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons and fold into batter very carefully just until blended.

Combine topping ingredients in small bowl; mix with fingers until crumbly and all ingredients are well well-blended. Set aside.

Scoop batter evenly into muffin pan; top with streusel. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes or you will burn your tongue!

Linking with
Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm
and
Foodie Friday at Life as a Lofthouse