Pear, apple and cider muffins

Name: Pear, apple and cider muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: 2 pears; 80g full-fat yogurt; 80ml vegetable oil; 200g golden caster sugar; 125g stewed apple (see tip); 2 medium free-range eggs; 100ml dry cider; 325g plain flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground ginger; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tbsp runny honey, English if you can find it (optional); You’ll also need; 12-hole muffin tin lined with muffin cases

Portion size: Makes 12
Hands-on time 10 min, oven time 40-45 min, plus cooling
Difficulty: easy

Vegetarian

Sophie Austen-Smith

Former deputy food editor, delicious.

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These pear and apple muffins are packed with fruit to give them an autumnal flavour, and a good dash of cider keeps them moist.

Or, try these blackberry and apple crumble muffins which combine all the best bits of autumn in one bite.

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Ingredients

2 pears
80g full-fat yogurt
80ml vegetable oil
200g golden caster sugar
125g stewed apple (see tip)
2 medium free-range eggs
100ml dry cider
325g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp runny honey, English if you can find it (optional)

You’ll also need

12-hole muffin tin lined with muffin cases

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Method

Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½. Quarter and core the pears, finely chop 1½ of them and finely slice the remaining ½ pear.
Put the yogurt, oil, sugar, apples and eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over the cider and whisk again.
Add the flour, baking powder, spices and chopped pears, then fold everything together until just combined, being careful not to overmix the batter as this can make the muffins dense and tough.
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Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cases, then top each with pear slices. Bake for 40-45 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer pushed into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the tin and brush the tops with runny honey, if using. Allow them to cool, then wrap as gifts or store in a sealed container until ready to eat.

Nutrition

261kcals Calories
6.5g fat (0.8g saturated) Fat
4.5g protein Protein
45g carbs (24g sugars) Carbs
2.1g fibre Fibre
0.2g salt Salt

Quick wins & tips

To make enough stewed apple, peel, halve, core and roughly chop a 160g cooking apple, then cook over a medium heat until smooth. Or use 125g ready-stewed apples/pears instead.

If you’re making the muffins to give away, wrap each in tissue or compostable baking paper tied with string and attach a label saying what it is.

Make Ahead

These muffins are best eaten the day you make them but they’ll keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container – just gently warm in a low oven to refresh before serving.