If I make the attempt and try to eat healthier, all I crave are donuts, chocolate, and wine. The idea of not being able to eat copious amounts of sugar makes me want to do just that. In order to compromise, I decided to make a healthier muffin that can still satisfy my sweet tooth. By using whole wheat flour, incorporating fruit, and cutting down on the oil and sugar, I created what I call “the way to start the new year” muffin. Here are chai spiced pear muffins with oatmeal streusel and vanilla honey butter. Okay so the butter may defeat the purpose of it being healthy, but IT’S SO GOOD. So good in fact, that I have served myself a muffin every morning for the past week.
Chai Spiced Pear Oatmeal Streusel Muffins with Vanilla Honey Butter45 minTotal Time
Yields 12 muffins
Save Recipe Ingredients
Vanilla honey butter- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp dark honey
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Chai Pear Muffins- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pear, peeled and chopped
Oatmeal Streusel- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Whip together softened butter with honey and vanilla. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients for chai pear muffins (flour – salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together milk with vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Stir in chopped pear.
- In another medium mixing bowl, combine ingredients for the streusel. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix thoroughly until the mixture is crumbly.
- Line muffin pan with muffin liners. Fill each cavity ¾ full with muffin batter. Top with streusel topping and bake for about 20 minutes. The muffins are ready when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla honey butter.
7.8.1.2319
45 minTotal Time
Yields 12 muffins
Save RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp dark honey
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pear, peeled and chopped
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Whip together softened butter with honey and vanilla. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients for chai pear muffins (flour – salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together milk with vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Stir in chopped pear.
- In another medium mixing bowl, combine ingredients for the streusel. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix thoroughly until the mixture is crumbly.
- Line muffin pan with muffin liners. Fill each cavity ¾ full with muffin batter. Top with streusel topping and bake for about 20 minutes. The muffins are ready when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla honey butter.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Whenever I make a warm fruit baked good with lovely spices, I can’t help but top it with a streusel. The pumpkin apple streusel cake I made a couple of months ago just wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t finished with a streusel. These chai spiced pear muffins are the same in that effect. To make it a little healthier, I decided to make it an oatmeal streusel (plus oats and pears just sound like a great combination).
These muffins are pretty standard in the way you prepare them. First, mix together your dry ingredients, then your wet ingredients, and combine everything together. The only difference in this recipe is the blend of spices. To make a chai spiced muffin, add cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and cardamom to the batter. Once everything is incorporated, fill the muffin pan 3/4 full and top with the streusel.
Just a tip, if you have a pastry cutter, this will help bring the streusel together quicker. You want to break up the chunks of butter into small pieces and make sure it is thoroughly coated with the flour, sugar and oat mixture.
Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the muffins are baking, make the vanilla honey butter. Whenever you make flavored butter, remember to use softened butter, but make sure it’s not completely melted. Side note, did you know that a lot of the honey sold in America is not real honey? I recently discovered this on a Netflix food documentary and am now very wary about the honey products I purchase. Anyways, whip up the ingredients and set aside.
Let the muffins cool slightly before serving. I personally like my chai spiced pear muffins with oatmeal streusel served warm with a nice smear of the vanilla honey butter. If you want to be extra fancy, drizzle on some extra honey!
I am in love with these muffins and for good reason. Now if someone can take these away from me…
Looking for someone to come to your house and prepare these dishes for you? It is possible! If you are in Los Angeles and looking for a private chef, please feel free to contact me. For more information, visit Private Kitchen Los Angeles.