These moist and delicious Pear Gingerbread Muffins are packed with holiday flavours. The combination of gingerbread spice, molasses and pears is pure bliss!
There are only a handful of smells that signal the true start to the holiday season for me. Gingerbread spice is definitely one of them! These muffins are the perfect companion to a hot coffee on a cold day (cue a Christmas music playlist – I’m working on it)!
I used aromatic Bartlett pears for this recipe; however feel free to skip the pear if your family isn’t a fan. For me, the pears added moisture, flavour and nutrition but we tried them without the pear and they were dynamite. You can either purchase gingerbread spice or make your own gingerbread spice with this recipe here. Gingerbread spice makes such a cute gift packed in a little jar with a plaid ribbon!
Baking & Cooking with Pears
I love baking with fruit but sometimes pears don’t get as much love as the others! The truth is, pears are a delicious and nutritious addition to your baking. They are also full of antioxidants, fibre and taste great in many recipes where apple is called for. In most cases there is no need to peel them. I used Bartlett pear for this recipe as it is a sweeter pear with a thin skin.
Try incorporating them in some of your favourite recipes this season like this delicious Roasted Pear and Butternut Squash Soup or even the Pear & Brie Crostini! You can also freeze it and add it into smoothies – I do this when they start to turn brown to avoid food waste.
More Gingerbread Recipes
Prepare for the holiday season with your own batch of homemade Gingerbread Spice and get the most out of it with some great recipes. First off, try these Pear Gingerbread Muffins and let me know how what you think!
If you liked the flavours in these muffins, you can also give the Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake a try. Maybe start your day with some Gingerbread Pear Blender Pancakes, or whip up these old-fashioned Gingersnap Cookies for Mr. Claus this year. Can you tell I love a good gingerbread recipe?!
Pear Gingerbread Muffins
Pear Gingerbread Muffins
These moist and delicious pear gingerbread muffins are packed with holiday gingerbread flavours.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons gingerbread spice*
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup molasses**
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup oil***
- 2 cups diced peeled pear****
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with paper liners (this makes 18 muffins so you may need 2 tins depending on the size of your tins, or simply bake in 2 batches).
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In a large bowl whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and gingerbread spice.
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In a separate medium bowl whisk together the eggs, molasses, water and oil.
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Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir to combine and fold in the pears.
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Divide the batter among the muffin tins, filling each tin ¾ full. Top each muffin with a thin slice or two of pear if desired and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
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Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
*gingerbread spice is a 1/4 cup cinnamon, 1/4 cup ginger, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, 2 teaspoons all spice and 2 teaspoons cloves for 1/2 cup of spice. See my DIY recipe here.
**fancy molasses works best but we tried it with blackstrap molasses and it worked (the molasses flavour was stronger with the blackstrap)
***olive oil, avocado oil or any neutral vegetable oil will work
****we used Bartlett pear but other varieties would work
Amanda says
Looks delicious! Would you be able recommend a different flour to make it gluten free? Would the Bob Red Mill gluten free flour work? Thanks for your help!
Tori Wesszer says
Hi Amanda I haven’t tried it yet but I think it should work with the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour!
Carla Craig says
These are AMAZING! Sooooo good. The perfect type of muffin for this time of year and very different from my regular go to recipes. Even my toddler loved them! Will definitely be making these again
Tori Wesszer says
So happy you like them Carla!!! Thank you for rating the recipe it means a lot! Tori
Steve says
I made these today. My muffins overflowed the cups so next time I will make 24. They taste great. Thanks for another great recipe.
Nicki says
I just made these tonight and found mine overflowed too but I think it’s because it’s quite a wet mixture
Tori Wesszer says
Hi Nicki yes it is more of a dense muffin that doesn’t rise much! Sorry if those instructions weren’t clear! Happy holidays, Tori
Kait says
Hi tori! My mom made these and they were so tasty! I eat plant based and didn’t realize there was eggs in it. Would flax eggs work instead?
Tori says
Hi Kait, I haven’t tried it before but I think it should work!
Serina says
These look amazing. can’t wait to try your recipe asap!
Melanie Z says
These are delicious! The batter seemed excessively thin at first – not lumpy like most muffin recipes. Fortunately I read the comments of Tori and others and was relieved that the thin batter is normal. The muffins don’t rise high, but they are dense and moist. I filled the batter to near the top of the muffin cups. I love the addition of chopped pears, and I left the skin on. I’ll definitely make this recipe again – it’s very unique and tasty. The recipe made 20 decent sized muffins.
Tori Wesszer says
Thank you Melanie for taking the time to review and rate the recipe, I really appreciate it! Happy New Year, Tori