Vanilla Pear Muffins

Last Sunday at the farmers market, I picked up a bag of delicious, juicy, organic pears - I mean, it is fall after all! Some of them I inhaled straight out of the fruit bowl while the others decided they wanted to start ripening quicker than I could eat them, so the baking mindset took over and I made these wonderful, light vanilla pear muffins.

The combination of vanilla, pear and nutmeg pair so beautifully together, you'll wonder why you never thought of it before.

So before I meander off, just remember that then end point of this post is to tell you to go make these muffins.

Anyways, I am leaving for Cambridge in just over a week. I need to start packing, getting my things together, finish a pending math review packet and be mentally prepared to leave my family for all of two months. Not a lot. At all. I know. But I love them to the end of the world. Knowing they're less than two hours away from me (Cambridge to London) means so much; I couldn't wish for anything more.






Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baby/quick-cooking oats

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange zest

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 small ripe pears, thinly sliced

granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Line a muffin tin with muffin cases and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, oats, nutmeg and salt.
In another larger bowl, beat together eggs, vanilla, orange zest, brown sugar and applesauce until well combined.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined; do not over mix.
Fold in half of the pair slices.
Distribute the muffin batter evenly.
Stick 3-4 thin pear slices into the top of the muffins. Sprinkle granulated sugar onto the muffins.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until muffin tops have slightly crisped and browned.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!