Sugar and Spice

Ronda L. Halpin

There are mornings when I don't want to fuss with breakfast, but a bowl of cereal just seems … lackluster. Fortunately, I plan ahead for such occasions and can have a plate of these on the table, warm and toasty, in seconds:

Seconds?

Well, I did say I plan ahead, but yes. I tend to make my favorite muffins in large batches and freeze them. Then, on those ho-hum mornings, I take as many as I want out of the freezer, pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and voila! … breakfast is served! And it's brimming with juicy pear and lots of ginger. You could attempt to make a muffins with less in the way of ginger flavor, but why? I love the combination of ground, fresh, and candied ginger in this batter. With each tender bite of a muffin, you get a reminder that's a peppy day, after all!

Triple Ginger Pear Muffins

  • 3 1/3 c. all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 c. butter, melted
  • 2 T. freshly grated ginger
  • 2 c. brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 c. buttermilk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 c. rolled oats
  • 3 c. chopped pear (choose relatively firm pears)
  • 1/2 c. finely diced candied ginger

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and powdered ginger.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, freshly grated ginger, brown sugar, and egg until well-combined. Whisk in 1/3 of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk. Add in the vanilla extract.

Whisk in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the buttermilk. Whisk in the remaining flour. Stir in the rolled oats. Fold in the diced pears and candied ginger until they are evenly-distributed.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 19-22 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of each muffin comes out clean. Turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

  • Yields: 24 muffins
  • Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Tags