Sometimes you need a little decadence in your morning. The ho-hum bowl of cereal just isn’t enough. That’s when you need Pear and Raisin Allspice Crumb Muffins. (And some googly eyes if you’re grumpy and need a laugh, too!)
Like going to a party, these require a little extra preparation. I pre-cooked the pears and raisins in butter and sugar until the pears were soft. That would have been fantastic spooned over the top if I wasn’t already adorning with a streusel topping as well. Placed in the middle of each muffin, however, they turned an already fancy treat into the life of the party!
This adaptation comes from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my home to yours, which is one of my most favorite cookbooks. Beautiful photos, appealing flavors, and the narrative is like having your friend come over and help you bake. You can’t go wrong with this recipe. What are friends for?
Pear and Raisin Allspice Crumb Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into pieces
Filling
- 1 Bosc pear sliced thinly and chopped
- 1/4 cup dark raisins
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon turbinado raw sugar
Muffins
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup turbinado raw sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 Tablespoons 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
Streusel
- Put the flour, brown sugar, and allspice in a large bowl and stir.
- Add the butter to the bowl and, using a pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have small, pea-sized crumbs.
- Put it in the fridge until ready to use.
Filling
- In a small saucepan, heat the pear, raisins, butter, and sugar over medium heat until the pears are soft. Keep warm until ready to use.
Muffins
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice, and salt.
- In a large liquid measuring cup (or medium bowl), whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Slowly pour in the melted butter, whisking the whole time, continuing to whisk until well blended.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a silicone spatula, stir until just combined.
Assembly
- Using a large cookie scoop, portion out a scoop of batter into each prepared cup, then spoon some filling over that. Cover with another scoop of batter.
- Sprinkle the streusel over the top, pressing down lightly when finished.
- Bake on a center rack for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden colored and the muffins bounce back when lightly pressed.
- Place muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins to the cooling rack to cool completely.
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What other crumb-y muffins do we have this morning?
Oooh, pear and raisin filling! What a wonderful idea! Your googly eyes gave me the first laugh of the day on this Monday morning so, thank you.
Still smiling,
Stacy
Cooking the pears and raisins in butter was a fantastic idea! And those googly eyes are too cute! Great twist on dorie’s recipe, Carrie! 🙂
The googly eyes are just too cute and did give me a chuckle. Love it! And these muffins sound amazing. Yum! Happy Monday!
As happy as a Monday can be! 🙂
These are too cute! And they sound so lovely and fall-themed too 🙂
Thank you! They really do scream “Fall,” don’t they?
I love these cute muffins.. what a great idea to prepare the fruit this way before adding into the batter! I’m your latest follower:D
Welcome! I thought it would be a little more special pre-cooking the pears and raisins and making a sort of caramel-y sauce. Very yummy!
These look so yummy! Love the googly eyes haha!
Mondays really need a pick-me-up. How can you be grumpy when those eyes are staring at you? 😉
What a great idea to cook the fruit in butter and sugar beforehand! The combination of pear and raisins also sounds really yummy!
Oh, yum, a pear and raisin filling. Drool! These look delicious.
I agree with sometimes needing a little extra treat in the morning. Besides, whole wheat flour, pears and raisins make it healthy, jaja. Really wonderful recipe to try with so many fruits!
Exactly! 🙂