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Pear Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

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Image: Pear crumble muffins on a blue plate
Image: Pear crumble muffins on a blue plate

Today’s Pear Muffins with cinnamon crumble topping are a favorite at my house. They’re soft on the inside, with a fluffy, airy texture. And then topped with a crisp crumble. So Good.

Image: pear crumble muffins on a blue plate.

There are two recipes that are sure to win over my children for breakfast are pancakes and muffins. But when it comes to muffins, “the ones with crumbly topping on top are the best!” as my daughter likes to say.

My grandmother used to use canned pears in her pear crumble muffin recipe and I’ve continued that tradition with these quick and delicious muffins.

As a child living in Spain, I spent most afternoons and weekends at my grandmother’s house. Over the years, I learned to appreciate the love and kindness that went into every meal she cooked. But baking, though, those were special treats reserved for the weekend.

As an inquisitive child, I would ask a lot of questions that I’m sure my grandmother found to be repetitive and possibly annoying. You know, the type of questions that would start with “why” and end with “but why?”

To her credit, she never grew tired of explaining why things had to be done in a certain way in the kitchen. It’s because of her answers that I am now able to create easy shortcuts in many recipes or know why it’s good to use canned fruit in many of her baked goods recipes.

She’d say that canned fruit has a consistent texture that always cooks evenly. And, even with small baked goods like muffins, the result would be fruit with a softer texture that is pleasant with every bite. This isn’t always the case with fresh fruit, as it often takes longer than the baking time for it to soften up. Plus, the canned pears in this recipe are high in moisture, so they help the muffins have a softer and fluffier texture.

Image: pear crumble muffins on a blue plate.

Pear Muffin Ingredients

Aside from the can of pears all you need to make these muffins a reality is the usual baking ingredients such as: 

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Butter or coconut oil, melted
  • Brown sugar
  • White sugar
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • 15 oz. can Pear Halves in Pear Juice

Pear Muffin Recipe 

Soft and fluffy muffins with tender pears don’t bake themselves, so let’s get to it! 

Prepare:
Preheat oven to 375F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or generously grease and flour each cavity.

Make the crumble topping:
In a medium bowl, combine ⅓ cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, stir with a fork. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes a crumbly topping. 

Prepare the batter:
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoons cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt. , baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl or the bowl of your food processor, combine ½ cup melted butter (or coconut oil), ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup milk, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Gradually add in flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined, careful not to over mix. Gently fold in chopped pears.

Image: pear crumble muffins on a blue plate.

Pour into Muffin Cups:
Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full. Top with the crumble topping (you might have a little extra) and bake for 22-25 minutes until the crumble tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove and Cool:
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool prior to serving. Grab your beverage of choice with a muffin and bite in! 

Cinnamon Crumble 

Crispy, crumbly muffins tops are the best part and this cinnamon crumble is a perfect all-purpose topping for any muffin recipe! You can add it to blueberry muffins, banana muffins, or a coffee cake.

  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a medium bowl, combine ⅓ cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon white sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, stir with a fork. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes a crumbly topping. 

Image: pear crumble muffins on a blue plate.

From here, you can top it over any muffin or coffee cake of choice! Speaking of- if crumble toppings and coffee cake is your type of thing, let me introduce you to these Coffee Crumble Cake Muffins. Two desserts in one glorious, delicious muffin! 

As I share many of her recipes in this blog and my cookbooks; one of the questions that I’m often asked is if she left me a recipe book of sorts. Sadly, no. My aunt Amparo is a chef, and thankfully she has written down many of my grandmother’s recipes as cooked them along with her over the years.

And this recipe is one of them. Check out how easy these muffins are to make:

What I love about this particular recipe is that the crumbly topping gives it a fanciness of sorts, but in truth, it’s simple to make. And, to make them ultra convenient, the batter can be made the night before, the pan can be lined and filled, and baked in the morning.

Because really, who has time to measure flour early in the morning barely caffeinated? Not this girl. My husband jokes that I don’t get breakfast started until the first cup of coffee kicks in, so there is always that!

The crumbly topping of this muffin not only looks fantastic but will leave you wanting more.

Image: pear crumble muffins on a blue plate.

After these pear muffins, be sure to try my Coffee Cake Muffins with crumbly cinnamon topping and these amazing Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins.

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Pear Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

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★★★★★

4.8 from 20 reviews

Soft pear muffins with a cinnamon crumble are a delicious treat or morning breakfast! 

  • Author: Laura Fuentes
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 – 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking

Ingredients

For the crumble:

  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour*
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the muffins:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour*
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter or coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 15 ounce can of pear halves in pear juice, drained, (about 1 ½ cups chopped) or 2 fresh pears, peeled and sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or generously grease and flour each cavity.
  2. Prepare the crumble toppings by combining with a fork the dry crumble ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, pour the melted butter into the mixture and with the fork or by using your hands, combine the mixture into a crumbly topping. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl or the bowl of your food processor, combine melted butter (or coconut oil), brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
  5. Gradually add in flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined, careful to not over mix. Gently fold in chopped pears.
  6. Divide batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full. Top with crumble topping (you might have a little extra) and bake, for 22-25 minutes until the crumble tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool prior to serving.

Equipment

Muffin Pan

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Measuring Cups

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Notes

Make these whole-wheat by using whole-wheat baking flour (white whole-wheat). If you use regular whole-wheat flour, use only 50% whole-wheat and 50% all-purpose flour to avoid dense muffins. You can make these gluten-free by using a 1:1 gluten-free flour mixture. Depending on the brand, you might need 2-3 tablespoons less flour as gluten-free flour absorbs more liquid.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 264
  • Sugar: 18.1g
  • Sodium: 120.6mg
  • Fat: 10.8g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.4g
  • Carbohydrates: 38.3g
  • Fiber: 1.4g
  • Protein: 4.1g
  • Cholesterol: 57.2mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @MOMables on Instagram and hashtag it #momables

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Jessica

    October 20, 2022 at 4:34 pm

    About ti make these! Can I freeze them for an expecting mama? If so how? Should I freeze them already baked or freeze the batter in muffin liners? If so do I let thaw before baking?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      October 25, 2022 at 1:50 pm

      You can absolutely freeze these before baking but after baking will be much more appreciated! Bring them over frozen and all she’ll have to do is thaw it out on the counter or lightly microwave for an oven-fresh feel!

      Reply
  2. Ginny Garner Mastandrea

    February 24, 2022 at 2:38 am

    So delicious!! My mom said oh they’ll be grainy. Oh no they weren’t!! They were so delicious and just the right amount of cinnamon!! I could have eaten the batter and skipped the muffin making but I resisted and I just loved them!! I shared with my neighbors because we’re all kind of stuck at home because of icy weather. Thank you so much!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      March 07, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed these pear muffins, Ginny! Your neighbors must have been so excited to get muffins delivered on a cold day!

      Reply
  3. Dawn

    January 17, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    These pear muffins with cinnamon crumble fantastic! I will definitely make these again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Rachael

    June 12, 2020 at 6:29 am

    My family loved these!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Erin Stewart

    April 15, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    Wow these are so delicious and so easy to make! I doubled the recipe- my adjustments
    *I used 3 larger fresh to get 3 cups peeled & chopped pears
    * I used 1/2 melted butter & 1/2 melted coconut oil
    * flour combo – 1-1/2 cup regular flour, 1 cup while wheat flour, 1 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/4 ground flax seeds

    Thanks so much Laura I’m excited to try more of your recipes now!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 17, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      Thank you for making these, Rama! I am glad you enjoyed them.

      Reply
  6. Nicole Locastro

    August 29, 2019 at 11:51 am

    Can I use fresh pears? If so, should i cook them a bit, to compensate for the canned pears.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      September 27, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      you can absolutely use fresh pears. No need to cook them, simply dice them. They will cook while baking. Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Monica Davis

    May 17, 2019 at 8:32 am

    Lovely recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Mrs Lyn Chivers

      January 09, 2022 at 3:16 am

      How long will these keep after baking please

      Reply
      • Laura Fuentes

        January 10, 2022 at 3:56 pm

        These muffins will last up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Once refrigerated they’ll last up to 1 week.

        Reply
  8. Jessica

    April 28, 2019 at 1:37 am

    Just made these and they are delicious! Used fresh ripe pears and they worked out so well. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      May 01, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed the Jessica!!

      Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      May 01, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed them Jessica!!

      Reply
  9. Tricia

    August 09, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    I used to freeze baked muffins, but find we prefer to freeze the batter in muffin liners and then bake “as needed.” How do you think these would freeze before baking?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      August 11, 2016 at 8:26 am

      They absolutely will freeze prior to baking very well!

      Reply
      • Tricia

        August 21, 2016 at 12:03 am

        Thanks so much!! We made some today for school snacks. Some for the freezer and some for eating. They were yummy!!

        Reply
  10. Melanie Hawk

    June 12, 2016 at 9:55 pm

    Love this recipe, thank you for sharing. My favorite recipe using canned fruit is “Cherry Pie Supreme.” It is the absolute best, and speaking of this, I think I have some muffins and a pie to make this week. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      June 13, 2016 at 10:38 am

      thank you so much for sharing you loved these muffins Melanie!

      Reply
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