Pear Crumb Muffins

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Published: 08/12/2020 | Updated: 04/03/2024

These pear crumb muffins combine fresh fruit with a tender muffin and a buttery crumb topping! It’s a delicious treat for breakfast or just a snack that’s easy to make and freezes well too!

a pear crumb muffin with a brown wrapper and more muffins in the background on a cooling rack

I’m not too big of a cupcake fan, but call it a muffin and I am totally in! Especially if there’s fruit involved and a buttery crumb topping.

These pear muffins would be the perfect complement to any breakfast or brunch menu. They are so delicate and packed with flavor at the same time.

You can leave off the crumb topping if you want to save some time and calories and you’ll be left with the perfect muffin to pack in your kids’ school lunch.

a pear muffin cut in half in a brown cupcake liner

How to Make Pear Crumb Muffins

When pears are in season, I try to always make these muffins using fresh pears. You can easily used canned pears, though, if you don’t live in an area where they grow or if they’re just out of season. Don’t let that stop you from making these easy fruit muffins!

However you get your pears, you’re going to want about 2.5 cups of peeled and chopped pear pieces.

To make the batter, combine your applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar and eggs in a bowl and stir really well to combine. Then stir in your chopped pears and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl , add your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together and then fold into pear mixture. Mix well until no traces of flour remain.

This recipe makes 24 muffins. You’ll want to either grease your muffin tins or line them with paper liners

Divide your batter evenly among your muffin tins and then set aside and wait for the best part… the crumb topping!

a muffin tin filled with pear muffin batter and crumb topping

Crumb Topping Recipe

Most crumb topping recipes are just a mixture of flour, sugar and butter. Sometimes they’ll add in some cinnamon or a dash of salt, but for the most part you’ll find those 3 basic ingredients.

It’s always amazing to me what a difference those 3 ingredients can make when you add it to a recipe like this!

For this recipe, I combined 1/2 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of sugar in a small bowl. Then I used a fork to cut in 6 tablespoons of cold butter. Just keep working it in with your fork until you have coarse crumbs.

Then sprinkle it evenly over your muffin batter. If you like an extra thick layer of crumbs, feel free to double this recipe. I’ve been known to do that a time or two…

Then bake them at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until they test done with a toothpick.

Tips for Making Pear Muffins:

  • Feel free to add chopped walnuts or pecans. You can either add them into the muffin batter or you could add them into the crumb topping.
  • If you do not have applesauce, you can replace with an event amount of vegetable oil.
  • I like to use a mixture of brown sugar and white sugar in a lot of my recipes because the brown sugar adds an extra depth of flavor. You can use all white sugar, though, if you prefer.
  • You can omit the crumb topping entirely if you want (but I don’t suggest that you do!).
  • These muffins freeze really well! Just wrap in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag. You can pull one out and put it straight into a lunch box the morning you want to eat it. It will be completely thawed by lunchtime!

pear muffin with crumb topping in front of a cooling rack with more muffins

Is this pear muffin healthy?

The answer is yes! This pear muffin is delicious and nutritious. It has only 4 grams of fat per serving, which is less than one percent of the daily recommended amount for women. It also contains fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, and protein.

Why did my muffins fall flat?

Muffins are delicious, but they don’t always rise properly. That may be because they weren’t cooked long enough as needed. And if they are baked, the structure has been set up, causing them to float. I always check my cakes with a toothpick to see if any raw batter is clinging to them.

In conclusion, the recipe for Pear Crumb Muffins is a delightful way to use up years of pears sitting in the back of your refrigerator. It is both delicious and easy and will make you wonder why you haven’t been making these muffins for years. You can enjoy these delicious muffins hot or cold with a cup of tea or coffee.

If you are looking for more crumb muffins recipes, you can try these Banana crumb muffins. This is recipe is easy to make and is perfect for breakfast or as a snack. So if you have some leftover bananas, definitely try this.

Pear Crumb Muffins

These pear crumb muffins combine fresh fruit with a tender muffin and a buttery crumb topping! It's a delicious treat for breakfast or just a snack that's easy to make and freezes well too!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pear crumb muffin
Servings: 24
Calories: 195kcal
Author: The Endless Appetite

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Applesauce
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2.5 cups Pears peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 3 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Nutmeg

Crumb Topping

  • 1/2 cup Flour
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 6 Tbsp. Butter cold

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24-cavity muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, sugars and eggs until well combined. Stir in diced pears and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into went ingredients. Mix well.
  • Pour batter evenly between muffin liners.
  • In a small bowl, mix flour and sugar for crumb topping. Cut in cold butter with a fork. Continue to cut in until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Spread crumbs evenly over muffin batter in pans
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

If you do not have applesauce, you can use vegetable oil in its place.
If you like an extra thick layer of crumbs on top, you can double the crumb topping ingredients.
These muffins freeze well. Wrap a cooled muffins in plastic wrap and then place inside a gallon freezer bag to freeze. 

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