Pear, Ginger and Pecan Muffins

 RSS    

As part of a two-person household you may be hesitant to do any baking.

Those five-pound bags of flour are daunting, and if you use sugar by the teaspoon, not the cup, buying it in bulk can be overwhelming.

You can bake for two, but you may want to scale down your purchases. The standard advice is to buy larger sizes because you're paying less per cup. However, smaller packages take up less room in your cupboard and have a faster turnover.

Buy flour in two-pound bags. If you bake infrequently, store the bag in the refrigerator (this is especially important for whole-wheat flour, which can turn rancid). You'll also find sugar in smaller amounts.

Baking powder and baking soda don't come in a wide range of sizes. Instead look on the packages for the freshness date. Pick the packages with the furthest out date.

Buy nuts and dried fruit in bulk and store in the freezer up to a year. Use what you need and have the rest for another recipe.

Other typical baking ingredients, including eggs, butter and milk, are probably in your refrigerator right now.

With the obstacles gone, what are you waiting for?

Preheat the oven and make a batch of delicious, spicy Pear, Ginger and Pecan Muffins. The recipe yields eight muffins. Freeze leftovers individually so you can thaw and serve one or two at a time.

Pear, Ginger and Pecan Muffins

Makes 8 muffins

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 ripe, medium-size pear, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Beat together egg, milk and melted butter in a small bowl; pour over flour mixture. Stir just to mix ingredients. Stir in pear, ginger and pecans. Do not beat.

Spoon into a greased muffin pan, filling 8 of the indentations about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 30 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and cooked in the center when tested with a toothpick. Remove muffin tin from oven. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack and completely cool.

Each serving (1 muffin) has: 162 calories; 6 grams total fat; 3 grams protein; 22 grams carbohydrates; 36 milligrams cholesterol; 80.5 milligrams sodium and 1.5 grams dietary fiber.

 RSS    

Pear, Ginger and Pecan Muffins - Bev Bennett Recipes

(c) 2009 Bev Bennett