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Golden chai pear muffins with domed tops and demerara sugar crust on a dark wooden board, one split open

Chai Pear Muffins Recipe

Spiced chai pear muffins baked in one bowl with warm cardamom, cinnamon, and ripe pear chunks. Done in 40 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 220
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 150 g brown sugar packed
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper freshly ground
Wet ingredients
  • 115 g unsalted butter browned and cooled slightly
  • 120 ml whole milk room temperature
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix-in
  • 2 medium (about 300 g peeled and diced) ripe pear Bosc or Bartlett, cut into 1 cm cubes
Optional topping
  • 2 tbsp raw or demerara sugar for sprinkling on top before baking

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn golden, about 4 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla into the browned butter until combined.
  4. Add the brown sugar to the wet mixture and whisk until smooth.
  5. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper over the wet ingredients.
  6. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined and no dry flour is visible. Do not overmix.
  7. Add the diced pear and fold in with 3 to 4 strokes until distributed through the batter.
  8. Let the batter rest for 3 minutes while the oven finishes preheating.
  9. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle with demerara sugar if using.
  10. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until the tops are golden and spring back when pressed lightly. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.
  11. Transfer the tin to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes before removing the muffins. Cool completely on the rack before storing.

Notes

Brown butter is the single step that separates these from a basic spiced muffin - don't skip it. If the butter starts smelling sharp rather than nutty, it's gone too far.