Pear Muffins
This recipe made its debut as a bundt cake in the wake of the Harry & David Holiday Pear Overload of 2015. It is very sweet and delicious, and works well with overripe pears. Muffins cook faster and are better for portion control, which is a real issue with this cake!
Pear Muffins (or Cake, depending)
4 ripe pears
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Peel and cut pears into a roughly half-inch dice, or bigger if you like big chunks of fruit in your cake. In a large bowl, mix pears with white sugar, brown sugar, and nuts (if using), and let sit for one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour one 13×9 inch pan or muffin tins. Add oil, vanilla, and eggs to the pear mixture and mix well. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir to blend, then add dry ingredients to pear mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for roughly 1 hour (for cake) or 35 minutes (for muffins). Cool on a rack.