Fresh Pear and Cardamom Muffins
These are my favorite muffins. Mostly because I’m in love with cardamom.
I wish my house smelled like cardamom. And I wouldn’t mind a perfume smelling of cardamom. I’d probably bathe in this lovely spice if I could.
Ground and Whole Cardamom
Sometimes I open my cardamom spice jar just to stick my nose in and inhale the blissful fragrance.
I love it in apple pie, peach crisp, banana bread, curried chicken, soups, stews, and in mashed sweet potatoes prepared with coconut milk. I’ve even sipped hot chocolate with a hint of cardamom. Wow, talk about an explosion of flavors!
If the flavor isn’t enough, cardamom also has health benefits. A relative of ginger, cardamom is also used to promote healthy digestion and is known to aid in lowering blood pressure.
Truly, I could write another 500 words about cardamom and the benefits of incorporating this lovely scented spice into our diets. So I’ve listed a few excellent websites for additional information. You know, just for a bit of light reading.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/252289-what-are-the-benefits-of-cardamom/
http://augustayurveda.com/showarticles1.asp?id=468
But for now, I’m enjoying the fragrant flavors of cardamom with seasonal pears… all deliciously blended into my most favorite muffins.
Fresh Pear and Cardamom Muffins
Makes 10-12 muffins
Ingredients
2 cups organic all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 rounded teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup grapeseed oil (substitute with 1/3 cup coconut oil or unsalted butter)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, combine just a tad less than one cup milk with one tablespoon white vinegar. Let it sit for about five minutes)
2-3 pears peeled and small diced
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Line the muffin tin.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom. Set aside.
In another bowl, or kitchen aid mixer, beat together the oil and sugar. Once combined add the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Gently mix in the buttermilk.
Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the diced pears.
Ladle into muffin cups. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until done. The muffins will be nicely golden brown on top.
Let the muffins sit for 5-10 minutes to cool. Enjoy!
Life is full of surprises. I'm an accidental Chef living an unexpected life... and loving every minute of it! 
These sound delicious – I love cardamom, and should try to incorporate it into more recipes! A rather belated thank you for following my blog – I look forward to reading more of yours as well!
You are so welcome! And thanks for the follow.
Cardamom is my favorite spice! Made the muffins on Monday… they are terrific. I used whole wheat flour, and they turned out just fine! Thanks Karista, I love your recipes!
Michele,Thanks so much for commenting! I’m so glad you tried it with whole wheat flour and that it turned out good. Yay! And thank you for your enthusiasm about my recipes. Makes my heart feel good.
I first had cardamom at a baby shower sprinkled on a salad of fresh peaches and raspberries, it was intoxicating and from that day on I became totally smitten with the spice. With pears in season, these are definitely going the baking list!
Kelley, I too vividly remember my first encounter with cardamom. Many years ago, I was watching Emeril Lagasse (I have the worst chef crush on him!) prepare an apple pie. He used cardamom instead of cinnamon. It was pure heaven!
I can’t wait to try these! One of my favorite local cafes makes pear-cardamom muffins that are amazing, I can’t wait to try to replicate them at home!
Emmy, Thanks for the comment! Hope you like the recipe. Delicious Wishes!
I love cardamom, it’s one of my favorites. This recipe looks great!
Julie, these are delish! They are also great prepared with your favorite gluten free flour.
These look fantastic! Cardamom is my favorite winter spice, and I’ve never paired it with pear (hyuck hyuck hyuck). I’ll definitely make these soon.
I look for any excuse to use cardamom. Enjoy! It’s also fabulous sprinkled on baked apples or pears.
Oooh, I bet baked pears dusted with cardamom would be excellent in a warm spinach salad!