It’s rainy season (or hurricane season if you count the last three days) around here. Which means it’s tea time with a book season. Which in turn means it’s muffin, pound cake, cookies, crumpets and any other pastry you like to have with your tea season. (I’m actually lying. Cookie season is year round) And when you add to the weather tons of gifts of fruit because your friends who own fruit trees have way too much of it, you end up with muffins everyday. Assorted, too. Apple, banana, figs, or in this case, pears. This recipe will give you a simple, homey, spice-y and full of pear little cake. Made all the better by a creamy vanilla glaze, which has become my favorite when glazing fluffy baked goods. (like here) So, if you’re feeling like a quick treat to accompany you rainy afternoon, go and read more for the recipe!

Pear cinnamon muffins
Yields 12

For cooking the pears:
2 large pears, peeled and diced in small cubes
2 tbsp butter
2tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Few drops of lemon juice
——
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
—–
For decoration:
1 small pear
Strawberry, apricot or clear fruit glaze

Vanilla Cream Icing:
Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 heaping cup of powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup cream

Add sugar to bowl and stir in heavy cream and vanilla until mixture resembles a thick batter.

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over med heat. Add the diced pears, sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pears are tender and translucent, and they start lightly browning. Add the lemon juice and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line your muffin tins.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer on med speed, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and keep beating for another minute. Add half the flour mixture, mix, then add half the milk and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat with the remaining flour and milk. Once evenly mixed, add the cooked pears. Scoop a full tbsp into each muffin tin, and bake until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

For decorating:

Once the muffins are cool, drizzle a tbsp of the vanilla cream glaze over each. Slice the small pear so you get several 2-3mm thick slices. (they shouldn’t be too thin or they won’t stand upright). Using a pastry brush, glaze the pears with the fruit glaze (this will keep them from browning and will also make them shiny). Poke a hole with the tip of a knife in the center of each muffin, put together three different-sized slice of pear, open them in a fan-like way and stick them in the hole, deep enough so they’ll stay straight, and you’re done.