Pistachio Pear Muffins

I'm posting again so soon after this roasted chicken. But it's with good reason. I have many, many recipes and images on my hard drive I've been itching to share. So many that I think you'll be hearing from me quite often until I'm all caught up. I've thought of simply letting go and just moving on, creating new recipes, but the ones I'll be posting just cannot be ignored. Like these Pistachio Pear muffins that are my favorite come fall.

The warmth of the pears and cinnamon against the sweet, tart cranberries make these little cakes irresistible. They have a nice texture that isn’t weighed down by the fruit, but rather enhanced by it. And they're made with whole wheat flour making them slightly better for you, or not terribly bad for you depending on where you stand on health matters. I've made them with just maple syrup and love it just as much, just be sure to increase that to 3/4 cups if you go that route. 

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Pistachio Pear Muffins

recipe developed for Binah Magazine

yields: 12 muffins

ingredients

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (140g) coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 ripe pears, Bartlett or Anjou, grated with skin and squeezed of excess juice

1/4-1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup raw pistachios, chopped

cinnamon sugar:

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. 
2. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, stirring well in between. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones, making sure to mix until just combined, even if small lumps remain. 
3. Fold the grated pears and cranberries into the mix. 
4. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper liners and, using an ice cream scoop, fill the liners with the batter about three-quarters of the way full. 
5. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the muffin tops with a pinch of cinnamon sugar and chopped pistachios. 
6. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.