Pear-Almond Muffins with Ginger-Cream Spread
Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Desserts, Low Calorie, Snacks on December 12th, 2009 by Eileen DevlinThe desire to make these turned into an unexpected late night mission and I have to say I am VERY glad I did it! I thought the combination of these flavors sounded interesting and I’ve never had a ‘pear muffin’ before. So, let’s get to the how-to, shall we?
You will require:
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c whole bran cereal
3/4 c fat-free milk
3/4 c chopped, peeled pear (I used bosc)
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp finely chopped almonds
1. Preheat oven to 400 and prep your 12-2.5 in muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl stir together your flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
2. In a medium bowl stir together cereal and milk and let this stand for 5 min. Stir in egg whites, oil, and pear. Add this mixture then to your flour mixture and combine until moistened (batter should be lumpy).
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups – about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with almonds and bake for 15-18 mins or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. While the muffins are baking here is how to make the ginger-cream spread: in a small bowl combine 4 oz of light cream cheese with a 1/4 tsp of ground ginger OR 2 tsps finely crushed crystallized ginger and 2 add tsp of honey.
5. Cool muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 mins. Serve with the ginger-cream spread. Makes 12 servings. You WILL enjoy!
***Side note: you can also make the batter ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and just bake a few at a time.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 154
Total fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrate: 24 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 163 mg
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I have a love hate relationship with ginger, not exactly sure why. Something about the taste can be too strong for me (tho it works wonders when I’m sailing).
That said, the ginger spread sounds delicious. These would be a great snack or breakfast on the run.
I also like the almonds!
There’s very little ginger used in the recipe so it’s just enough to taste it but it doesnt overwhelm the other ingredients.
Sailing?
So the ginger is a ‘hint’ of the flavor. Even more reason for me to break this one out.
Yep, sailing. When I would go sailing with my friends here in Chicago, if the wind is coming from the north I have a problem with motion sickness (never had that problem before I had my inner ear infection – anyway). Ginger is a natural way to control motion sickness.
So, if I feel something come on I just force down some fresh ginger and I am good to go.