not whole wheat apple muffins

Today I saw these absolutely delicious-looking Whole Wheat Apple Muffins on the Smitten Kitchen website and decided they would be a nice afternoon treat. As I was getting ready to make them I remembered that a couple weeks ago, in a cabinet-cleaning frenzy, I tossed my three-year-old, half-used bag of whole wheat flour and never got around to replacing it. What to do? These were "whole wheat" muffins afterall. Rather than wreck an otherwise quiet and lovely afternoon by going shopping, I opted to substitute regular unbleached white flour for the whole wheat. And since I was already adulterating the recipe, I figured I may as well experiment and alter something else. So, instead of apples, I used a couple beautiful, perfectly ripe bartlett pears. And (on accident) I incorporated all of the brown sugar into the mix, rather than dividing it and sprinkling half on top (although I did sprinkle a smidgen on top anyway because, well, sugar is good). Here is my adapted recipe. (Thanks for the inspiration Smitten Kitchen!)

Dessert-Like Pear Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, plus 1 T for sprinkling
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 large pears, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour (or spray) muffin tins and set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the sugars. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Slowly mix in the buttermilk, alternating with the dry ingredients, until all incorporated. Fold in the pear chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 18 muffins.

I can't speak for the original recipe (which I'm sure produces delicious - and healthier - muffins) but the pear version is pretty darn fabulous. A big bonus is how absolutely divine the baking muffins made my house smell. I figured the smell alone would bring the guys running. But nothing. It turns out they were enjoying their own version of a perfect afternoon.



p.s. Yes, Liam has been wearing the same t-shirt all week. He's a big fan, Tim.