Vegan Pear Muffins 

 

If you’re like me baking for your family is soothing. I think many of us are baking the blues away in these uncertain times. I recently bought a bag of imperfect pears. Pears are in season and so cheap right now here in Australia. As the last few idled in the fruit bowl I  searched for a recipe to use up any leftover fruit. As I have one son who is vegan I needed to consider his preference as well. 

The recipe below is one that I adapted from the site – Eat. Drink. Shrink. The muffins were delicious and all of the family loved them. I have made three batches since and every time they have turned out perfectly. These muffins are packed full of fruit, have less sugar than many other muffins and you can make them with pantry staples. A winning combination for Autumn or really any season. You can also use the basic muffin recipe with other fruit that’s going to waste. 

Ingredients 

• 2 cups flour ( I used self raising) 
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• I teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• ½ cup of apple sauce or a mashed banana 
• ½ cup almond milk (room temp) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-3 chopped pears ( depending on size) 

Instructions 

1. Heat oven to 160 degrees ( fan forced oven) , 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with 8 -10 muffin pans depending on the size you want. Fill the remaining cups with water to help the muffins bake evenly. 
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Add melted coconut oil, sugar, applesauce or mashed banana, room temp almond milk and vanilla extract to a separate bowl and whisk until smooth. If the mixture is too cold and coconut oil begins to solidify, simply pop in the microwave for a few seconds. 
4. Add the wet to dry ingredients and lightly combine. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the pears saving a few to dot on top. Fill the muffin cups. 
5. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out clean. 

Eat and enjoy! 

Once you’ve mastered the recipe you can experiment by adding things like ginger, allspice  sultanas or chocolate bits. With a basic muffin mix you can create a myriad of flavours. Why not make a batch and freeze for later. Happy Baking!