If you have been following this blog for any amount of time, you are probably not surprised to see another granola muffin recipe. I have been on a huge granola muffin kick lately for a couple of reasons… they are easy, they are healthy and they are delicious. The granola mixture is similar across all of the recipes and most of the ingredients are super flexible, so they are a great way to use up any little partial bags of things in your pantry, which I love doing. There is something so satisfying about throwing away (or recycling!) an empty bag knowing I used everything and wasted nothing. Thats the good stuff…
These granola muffins are spiced with chai and packed with tender pears. Pears and chai are a cozy fall pairing that work so great together. These muffins don’t contain flour or processed sugar, so they make a protein packed, fiber filled treat that is perfect for a quick breakfast, healthy mid-day snack or light dessert. They are great to keep on hand and they stay moist all week long. You’re going to love these muffins!
Let’s get started…
This recipe falls into 2 halves – the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.
The dry ingredients are primarily a granola mixture of oats, coconut shreds, dried fruit, nuts and chia seeds and these ingredients are pretty flexible. I am using golden raisins in this recipe today, but you can use regular raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, prunes… whatever you love. Same with the nuts, because I have lots of walnuts on hand right now, so I used them, but you can use almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios or whatever you have on hand.
In a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of old fashioned oats, 1/3 cup of coconut flakes, 1/3 cup of golden raisins, 1/3 cup of chopped nuts, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of apple sauce into 1 1/2 cups of your favorite milk, 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and 2 large eggs until smooth and pour this mixture into the granola mix.
Dice about a cup and a half of pears, no need to peel them, and add them into the bowl. Fold the pears in until everything is evenly distributed.
Generously grease a 12 cavity standard muffin tin and divide the mixture evenly between them. This batter has a good amount of liquid in it, so be sure to divide that evenly into each cavity too, so all of the muffins bake the same.
Bake the muffins in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Since I have been making these on repeat, in my oven they are perfect right at 30 minutes, but just check the center of the muffins to make sure they feel set to a light touch before pulling them out of the oven.
Let the muffins cool until they will come out of the muffin tin easily. If they start to come apart when you try to pull them out of the tin, don’t panic, just let them rest for another few minutes, they will come out fine!
These muffins are so spectacular. Beautifully spiced with wonderful texture and great nutritional benefits. I try to make a batch of these on a Sunday afternoon, so I have them for breakfast all week long. I usually keep half of them in an airtight container at room temp and the other half in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I use the first half on Monday and Tuesday (we usually have some as a late night snack one night!) and then I still have the rest of them for the rest of the week. They go quickly though… just a heads up…
If you want to add a little course sugar over the tops of the muffins for a little sweet crunch, go for it, but they are wonderful as is. The combination of the spices, pears and maple syrup make them perfectly sweet.
If you are looking for a healthy, nutrient dense treat then you will have to give these chai spiced granola muffins or my apple cinnamon granola muffins a try, because you are going to love them!
Chai Spiced Pear Granola Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of old fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup of coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1/3 cup of golden raisins (or your favorite dried fruit)
- 1/3 cup of nuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of apple sauce
- 1 1/2 cups of your favorite milk
- 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of pears, diced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Generously grease a 12 cavity muffin tin and set aside for now
- In a large bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups of old fashioned oats, 1/3 cup of coconut flakes, 1/3 cup of golden raisins, 1/3 cup of chopped nuts, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until everything is evenly distributed
- In a separate bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of apple sauce into 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup of maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and 2 large eggs until completely combined
- Add the apple sauce mixture into the granola and mix until fully combined
- Fold 1 1/2 cups of diced pears into the mixture
- Divide the mixture between the 12 greased muffin tins being sure to divide the liquid in the batter evenly throughout each portion
- Bake the muffins in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the centers feel set to a light touch
- Transfer the muffin tin onto a cooling rack or cutting board and let the muffins cool until they can be removed (if they start to fall apart when you try to remove them, let them cool for another 5 minutes or so)
- Store fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days
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