Pear Cardamom Muffins (Low Fat)

I love love love pears. From happy Bosc to crunchy Korean, pears are a delicate and delicious fruit. I love them poached, in salads, the JellyBelly version - you name it, its delicious. So after making three batches of the Apple Cinnamon Muffins, I needed a little change and pears just happened to be on sale!

This version stays pretty true to the Apple Cinnamon recipe, incorporating applesauce (or in this case pear-sauce) rather than using oil. The pear sauce is cooked with cardamom, which is a fragrant Indian spice that is often used in chai tea, kheer (rice pudding), and other sweets. The cardamom lends an exotic feel to a rather homey muffin. I also added a bit of low fat yogurt to this recipe to add a bit more moisture and fluff. The yogurt has this way of making the muffins more cakey.

Yes,  its the same picture for the apple cinnamon muffins. Sue me, they look exactly the same!

Pear Cardamom MuffinsMakes 1 dozen regular muffins or 9 larger muffins

1 1/2 cup flour3/4 cup sugar1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
pinch of salt 1/2 cup milk1 1/2 cup pears, diced
4 cardamom pods, seeds only and chopped1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons low fat yogurt

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sift all dry ingredients together in a bowl. (Flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nuts).
3. Make pear sauce. Place 1/2 cup diced pears in a microwave safe mug, then add a teaspoon of water and the cardamom seeds. Cover with a small plate. Microwave on high for two minutes. Mash with a fork and microwave until the pears have broken down to an applesauce texture. A little over or under cooked is fine. 
4. Add all wet ingredients: diced pear, pear sauce, egg, milk, and yogurt. Mix by hand to incorporate, but don't go crazy, since over mixing yields denser baked goods. Mix only as much as necessary.
5. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or a few sprays of Pam or canola oil. Spoon about a 1.5 tablespoons into a each liner. (Or two tablespoons for the larger muffins, which the batter will fill almost the whole cup.)
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool before eating.