How to Make Amazing Low Sugar Muffins with Pear Puree

A few years ago, Sophie Dahl (Roald Dahl’s grand-daughter) made a cooking series for BBC called “The Delicious Miss Dahl”. Opinion was split on her and the series. I can see why many people found her a little frustrating in her overly “Nigella-esque” way of presenting, but to be honest, when I watched it, I felt like I had discovered a kindred spirit in the way she approached food. Presumably due to her upbringing, Sophie has a way of seeing food and literature as intertwined, and of approaching healthy food as something to be thoroughly enjoyed, rather than feared. These things resonate with me.

After watching the series, I realised I would probably enjoy her writing and recipes more than watching her present, so I promptly bought her recipe book. I made a few recipes from it (the chicken & olive stew is particularly delicious!), which I thoroughly enjoyed, and occasionally dive back into it for a favourite recipe. But recently, I found myself flicking through it again and realising how, occasionally, Sophie was ahead of her time in terms of the healthy eating “revolution”, and the back to basics style that is rapidly growing in our world today.

Her book was organised by seasons, features ingredients that are only now thought of as “superfoods”, emphasised the importance of reducing sugar intake, eating local and ethically sourced foods, and pairing sugar with fibre and good fats to slow down its release.

I’ve been referring back to the Winter section of the book recently, and I came across a lovely looking recipe for pear & ginger muffins that I thought sounded beautifully wintery and warming. But Sophie’s use of agave syrup, which is 90% fructose, put me off. Still, I thought it might be worth a try to play around with the recipe and see if I could get it to be just as yummy without the excess sugar.

Turns out it was surprisingly easy thanks to one simple trick: roasted pear puree. Roasting fruits (and veg) brings out their sweetness even more, and roasted pear puree is incredible on its own or stirred into yogurt – it’s like eating pureed sugar crystals in its sweetness and lightness. And in muffins, well, it adds so much sweetness you barely need any added sweetener at all, and it pairs perfectly with ginger and wholegrain flour (I love them with spelt flour). These muffins are yummy, dense, warming and sweet. Perfect for a winter morning with a cup of hot coffee and a dollop of yogurt.

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Low Sugar Pear & Ginger Muffins

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

A dense, delicious and deceptively sweet muffin recipe that is best served warm with a cup of coffee and a dollop of yogurt on a cold morning. Adapted from Sophie Dahl's "Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights".

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings: 8 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup (140g) wholegrain flour (gluten-free is fine - my favourite flour to use in these is spelt)
• 1 cup (100g) oats (gluten-free is fine)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin spice mix
• 1 cup (225g) pureed roasted pear (see method on how to make this)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/2 cup (125ml) full-fat plain yogurt (coconut is fine)
• 3 tablespoons xylitol or 4-5 tablespoons rice syrup*
• 4-5 drops liquid stevia (or to taste)
• 1 large pear, diced (optional)
• 1/2 cup (60g) chopped walnuts, optional (they are also delicious with chocolate chips or chopped 85-90% dark chocolate)

Instructions

1. For the roasted pear puree: roast 2-3 pears in an oven preheated to 200C/400F/gas 6 for 15-20 mins until soft, then puree in a mixer until smooth (I like to keep the skins on but you can peel them before roasting if you prefer). You can easily batch make this and keep it in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze in ice cube trays to have on hand for more muffins, as a sub for applesauce in bakes, or in smoothies.

2. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Mix all of the dry ingredients together, then mix in the pear puree, eggs, yogurt, xylitol or syrup and stevia until just combined.

3. Fold in the diced pear and chopped nuts, if using then spoon the mixture into a lightly greased muffin tin until each hole is about 2/3 full (it should make about 6-8 muffins). If you like, you can slice another pear into wedges and top each muffin with a wedge, for decoration.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 mins, or until cooked through. Serve warm (they dry out quickly when cool but will moisten again when warmed up) with yogurt (dairy or coconut) or cream.

Recipe Notes

*rice syrup is fructose-free, but it is counted as a free sugar by the World Healthy Organisation, so be mindful that it would mean the muffins have 1-2 teaspoons free sugars each, but rice syrup is pure glucose rather than fructose so is released more steadily and dealt with better by the body in moderation than fructose, which is dumped on the liver