Ginger, Cranberry and Pear Muffins

ByBluebonnet Baker
20 Comments

I have a secret love affair with muffins. Ever since I started making them with pancake mix, that love affair has deepened into something dark and dangerous - I'm making muffins more often than I ever have, and they are flat out decadent.

We arrived in San Antonio on December 24th, just in time for all the family's celebrations and some really spectacular weather. Just the other day, it was 70 degrees here while back home in New Jersey, it was a balmy 15 degrees!

All this sunshine and warm weather has made me so cheery, I can't help but bake. There may be crappy things going on in my life (side note: being laid off kinda blows), but right now I get to spend tons of time with my family. My incredible husband is supporting me through everything, and I couldn't be more grateful for the love of my life, or the love in my life.

So I baked muffins. Lots of muffins. Starting with ginger, fresh cranberry, and caramelized pear muffins. There's just enough ginger for a zing that will make you go, "ooh!". The cranberries are tart and slightly sweet, and the pears reign everything back in with their mellow butter-sugary goodness.

Ginger, Cranberry and Pear Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) room temperature butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs (room temperature)
3 cups pancake mix (I used Pioneer Baking Mix)
½ cup 1% milk (You can use whatever you have on hand)
½ cup fresh cranberries, or dried cranberries reconstituted
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 Anjou Pear, diced to ½" pieces

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325F.

Combine butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream on high until well combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition, until completely incorporated.

Slowly add in pancake mix, one cup at a time. Mix after each addition, and mix until just incorporated.

Add milk and ginger and mix on low.

In a skillet, heat separate tablespoon of butter on medium heat. When the butter has melted, add diced pear pieces to the skillet and stir. (No need to peel, just cut core.) Add the separate tablespoon of brown sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon, and continue to stir often.

Watch closely so that the caramel doesn't burn, but so that the sugar completely dissolves and the pears get a little bit soft. When they are, remove pan from the heat and set aside.

Add cranberries and the entire ingredients of the pan to the batter, and stir by hand or mix just until well mixed in.

Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each cup ¾ of the way full. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. When poked with a toothpick, the centermost muffins should come away clean.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Ginger, Cranberry and Pear Muffins - - - [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]

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20 Comments

  1. Pingback: Fair Trade Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins | Bluebonnets & Brownies

  2. These look lovely! I need to try baking some muffins with pancake mix... And, I love the addition of ginger.

    Glad to see you're staying positive and enjoying your time with your family... Things will turn around soon. I just know.

  3. Sorry to hear you were laid off....hopefully the job market will pick up this year though:-)...These sound really yummy and I love that they have ginger in them!

  4. I'm so sorry you got laid off. 🙁 I know how tough it is and no matter what, it's kind of a hit to the ego. So glad you have a good support system. These muffins look yummy! I hope 2012 starts looking up for you. xoxo

  5. I love this. The pancake mix thing is so intriguing, and the ginger. Pears. I got weak in the knees.

    1. You've gotta try it, Shaina! No worry about over mixing. Light, tender crumb. I added 2 teaspoons of baking powder to this recipe yesterday for making banana nut - and also started with a 400F oven that I dropped down to 325F when I put the muffins in, but it doesn't seem to have made a blind bit of difference in the rise.

  6. "(side note: being laid off kinda blows), but right now I get to spend tons of time with my family. My incredible husband is supporting me through everything, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the love of my life, or the love in my life."
    - trust me when I say, I know the feeling. I was laid off about a month ago and IT SUCKS!! But, like you said - the support and love of those near and dear get you though the day :). Things, will get better... I know they will, for both of us.
    Starting... with these muffins!! OH MY YUM 😉 - - LOVE IT!

    1. Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. I know it will be okay, even if the sting of rejection still smarts pretty sharpish.

      Let me know if you make these muffins. They truly are to die for!

  7. Funny - I was looking at these photos and thinking about how you get to shoot with a whole new set of props in San Antonio. Probably a fun little creative exercise for you!

    1. The light is the best thing about being here, blog-wise. Soooo many windows, and the house faces just the right way to catch all the beautiful light for most of the day. Jealousy, thy name is Photographer.

      In terms of props, Chell doesn't have a whole lot. That teapot set is about the extent of it. Should be very interesting in the next few months.

  9. I'm sorry to hear about things with your job--that's an awful stress to have. But I'm so glad you have great people in your life who are with you through it. I'll be thinking about you!

    I did have one question about the muffins--I followed the link to your first pancake-mix-muffin recipe, and the instructions there sound like the batter is done in a mixer, up until when you fold in the cranberries/walnuts. Is that OK? In that post you also talked about never doing them with a mixer so I wasn't sure. Thanks! 🙂

    1. Hey Tara, thanks. As for the mixer, it's weird, I agree. I'd always read that muffins should never be mixed with a mixer, only by hand. It must be the pancake mix that makes a difference, because I've only ever done this base recipe in the mixer, and yet the muffins are still light and fluffy.

      I'm going to experiment today with banana and walnut, and add some extra baking powder to see if I can get them to rise even more, like bakery muffins. I'll let you know how they turn out.

  10. these look yuhm!
    sorry to hear about the lay off. happened to me once and i was not happy about it. Less than 3 weeks later i had a job, and still have it.

    1. Thanks for the words of encouragement, Angela. I'm sure it will be okay, it's just hard for me that this is how a 12 year stint at a company I loved ends. I hope you make these muffins and love them!

    1. Thanks, Rachel. I'm at my sister's place - doesn't she have the most gorgeous light?! I was super pleased with these photos.

  12. Love these muffins and the combination of flavours - I never would have thought of including pear in there!

    Sorry again for all the crap that you're going through at the moment, I hope the muffins are helping a tiny bit and that life is soon going to get itself together.

    1. Kathryn, it was last minute inspiration. I considered apple too, but the pears were looking so pretty at the market that I just had to pick one up.

      Everything happens for a reason, right? It'll be okay, I'm sure of it.

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