This recipe was previously published on Robust Recipes. I have updated the photos, recipe, and post for a better user experience. Enjoy!
Happy December! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
To kick off the month I’m sharing gingerbread pear muffins — tender, fluffy, and full of warming spices and rich molasses. Ripe pear pieces bake into the batter so every bite has a sweet, juicy surprise. A sprinkle of coarse turbinado sugar on top adds a bakery-style crunch, optional but festive for the holidays.
I first posted this recipe in 2016. Back then I shredded the pear, which added moisture but didn’t provide distinct pear bites. For this update I chop the pears and fold them into the batter so you get juicy pear chunks in each muffin. Improving older recipes is one of the joys of cooking — small changes can make a big difference.
The muffins are naturally gluten free thanks to a base of oat flour and coconut flour. To simplify the process, pulse the oats and the dry ingredients in a food processor until the oats resemble a fine flour and everything is well combined.
For the wet ingredients you’ll whisk eggs and yolks with applesauce, vanilla, coconut sugar, molasses, and melted coconut oil. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, then gently fold in the chopped pears. Let the batter rest about 8 minutes; the oat and coconut flours will thicken the batter as it sits.
Bake the muffins for 17–20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While they bake your kitchen will smell like holiday spices — cinnamon, ginger, and cloves — making them perfect to enjoy with a mug of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.
Layer on cozy vibes: grab a blanket, a sweater, and your favorite slippers. If you have a fireplace, even better.
That crunchy turbinado topping gives the muffins a professional finish. These muffins are balanced — perfectly sweet, gently spicy, and full of pear. If you don’t need to eat gluten free, you won’t notice the difference. That makes these muffins easy to share with friends and family.
They’re excellent for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack throughout fall and the holidays. The pear chunks stay distinct and juicy; I tested the recipe many times to get the texture and spice balance just right.
If you make these gingerbread pear muffins I hope you love them — they’re cozy, flavorful, and simple to prepare.
More muffin recipes you might enjoy:
- healthy pumpkin muffins
- cranberry orange muffins
- lemon poppy seed muffins
- spiced carrot muffins
Happy December baking!
If you make this recipe, leaving a comment and star rating is the biggest compliment — it helps others find the recipe and I love hearing from you. Thank you!
Gingerbread Pear Muffins (Gluten Free)
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4.7 from 3 reviews
Author: Emily
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Category: breakfast, snack, dessert, baking
Method: baking
Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, refined sugar free, easy
Description
Gingerbread pear muffins are packed with warming spices, sweet molasses, and studded with juicy ripe pears. They are the perfect muffin for the holidays.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned, rolled oats (see notes)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 to 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Wet ingredients
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 ripe pears (see notes)
Optional topping
- Generous amount of turbinado sugar (also called sugar in the raw)
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners.
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine oats, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and cornstarch. In a food processor, pulse the oats until they become a fine flour and the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl whisk the eggs and egg yolks. Add applesauce, vanilla, coconut sugar, molasses, and melted coconut oil, whisking until smooth.
- Chop the pears: Peel and dice the pears into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes and discard the core.
- Combine: Stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped pears.
- Rest: Let the batter rest for about 8 minutes so it can thicken.
- Scoop: Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to portion the batter into muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. You may have a bit of extra batter depending on pear size.
- Top (optional): Sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin for a crunchy finish.
- Bake: Bake 17–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the muffins cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store: Keep muffins in an airtight container at room temperature with paper towels on top to absorb moisture. They stay good up to 5 days, best within 1–2 days before the sugar topping softens.
Notes
Gluten free: Use certified gluten free oats to ensure the recipe is gluten free.
Refined sugar free: Omit the turbinado sugar topping to keep the muffins refined sugar free.
Pears: Any ripe pear variety works (I used Bartlett). Choose pears that are just ripe enough to hold their shape — not overly mushy.