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. Presenting 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.

Print Recipe

Chai Spiced Pear Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

Yields 12 muffins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: muffins

Servings: 12

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

Vanilla honey butter

• ½ cup butter softened
• 2 tablespoon dark honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chai Pear Muffins

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pear peeled and chopped

Oatmeal Streusel

• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon 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.

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...

For more muffin inspiration check out these blueberry cheesecake muffins!