Pear Muffins with Walnut Streusel
Pear Muffins with Walnut Streusel are moist and gluten-free, made with almond flour and a crunchy, spiced topping.
Baking with tree-ripened fall pears is such a treat. Pears make cakes and bread extra moist and add a delicate flavor that is harmonious with many other ingredients. I love the flavor combo of pear + hazelnut in my Spiced Cocoa Pear Bread with Toasted Hazelnuts and pear + almond in Pear Almond Cake. Pear Muffins with Walnut Streusel bring in another great nut and pear pairing. I have been the lucky recipient of some really exquisite local pears, likely a red Bartlett variety, and they have just the right texture and flavor for these muffins.
Making the Pear Muffins with Walnut Streusel:
Almond flour serves as the base for these muffins, making them gluten-free. Brown sugar is the sweetener and the classic duo of cinnamon and cardamom adds the fall feeling.
Mix together eggs, oil (neutral coconut or canola), and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. This is all very easily done by hand.
The mixture should be quite thick.
Peel the pears to remove any tough skins. These were pretty delicate, but I still prefer to have the pears be extra silky in the finished product.
Use a melon baller to easily remove the core.
You will need 1 cup total of peeled, cored, and chopped pears (about 3 small or 1 quite large). Carefully fold the pears and chopped walnuts into the batter.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly divide the batter into 12 muffin papers.
The streusel topping is made with chopped walnuts, brown sugar, almond flour, coconut oil, and a bit more cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
Sprinkle a little of the streusel on top of each muffin before baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes.
The finished muffins should be golden brown and will smell heavenly upon removal from the oven.
I love how moist and chunky they are.
Pear muffins with walnut streusel will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for several days (if they last that long!) I hope you enjoy another of my fall baking favorites!
Pear Muffins with Walnut Streusel
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 2½ cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup oil, neutral coconut (melted) or canola
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup peeled, cored, and chopped fresh pear (about 3 small or 1 large)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
For the Streusel:
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely ground blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
For the Muffin Batter:
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Fold in the pears and ½ cup chopped walnuts.
- Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to evenly divide the muffin batter in the paper liners.
- Top each muffin with some of the streusel topping and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool muffins on a rack.
For the Walnut Streusel:
- Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl and use to top the muffins.
