Pumpkin Pear Muffins

Shortly before Halloween, I started to hear whispered rumors about a pumpkin shortage during the holiday season.  Pumpkin puree would be scarce, they said.  Better snatch it off the shelves as soon as you see it in grocery stores, they said, or death, destruction, and disease would follow (or at least a pumpkin-less holiday).  So I did.  But you know what?  There are still shelves laden with pumpkin puree in our local stores, so maybe I didn't have to act quite so rashly.  Now the only conundrum (pleasant though it may be), is deciding what to do with my plethora of puree.  And while pumpkin desserts are great, I wanted something a little more breakfasty, and so I made these muffins.  The original recipe can be found here on kitchenscoop.com, but I modified it to better suit my tastes and the result is the following recipe.  Go ahead and whip up a batch this season for a breakfast that tastes like the holidays.

Pumpkin Pear Muffins

2 cups peeled and finely chopped pears (about 3 pears)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 tsp. baking powder

Dash salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

½ cup vegetable oil

½ tsp. vanilla

Topping (optional, but I highly recommend it):

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Peel, core, and finely chop pears.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, oil and vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold to mix.  Fold in pears.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tins.  If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar topping.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.