Pears in my mouth. All the time. That is what I want. Pears…and chocolate. So when I stumbled across this recipe in my cookbook collection, I just about exploded. How had I not made these before? How have I not shared these with you?

So, here they are, in all their rich, fruity, chocolate-y glory. The cinnamon just makes the whole thing.

You’re welcome.

Chocolate and Pear Muffins (makes 12)
2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/3 c. chopped, peeled pear

¾ c. brown sugar

3 ½ oz. chopped milk chocolate bar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

1 egg

¾ c. buttermilk (or soured milk)

½ c. cooking oil

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk remaining 3 ingredients in small bowl. Add to well. Stir until just moistened. Fill 12 greased muffin cups ¾ full. Bake in 375F oven for about 25 minutes until wooden pick inserted in centre of muffin comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

B’s Tip: Unless you make a habit of having buttermilk in your fridge all the time, you may need to fudge it and make “soured milk” to substitute. Here’s how you do it: Measure 2 ½ tsp white vinegar or lemon juice into a 1 c. liquid measure. Add enough milk to make ¾ c. Stir. Let stand for 5 minutes. I honestly use this trick more often than I use buttermilk and it works like a charm.

Happy baking!

B

Baking with B appears every other Monday on the Keeping Busy with B Blog. Find out why I like baking so much here. For more of my baking, click here. And for even more recipe inspiration, check out my Pinterest full of food eye candy that will have you licking your computer. Promise.