Chunky Pear + Oat (Sugar Free) Muffins

Firstly, not all muffins are created equal. These are not your typical high fat, high sugar "treat". They are less than 6g fat per serve; considered low salt and low sugar.

So, because nothing goes to waste in our house, we bake! If we don't eat or up-cycle it as another dish it, it goes to the worms or the dog! My son brings home the apple he never finishes for lunch - it goes straight into the "to be stewed" pile - perfect for muffins or puree fruit.

Pears are in season & I had some going to waste, so I thought I would try them in a lunch box snack.

We love a muffin for our lunch box or just to have on hand for a park picnic. Muffins can be a healthier option than many a snack option and compared to white bread, there is no competition. This muffin offers filling fibre through the oats, weetbix & fruit with skin on; protein through the egg, flour & milk & as a package - the complex carbohydrates are great for a slow energy release.

Fruit & rooftop hives honey for sweetness means there is no compromise on taste.

One thing we as adults need to remember though, is that kids don't need super sweet. My children don't have much sugar in their diet's, so these muffins are well loved by them. When I taste them, I feel they "need some sugar". But that is because my taste buds are more "matured" & needing a little extra of the sweet stuff to really taste it.

Give them a try! Tell us what you think!

Ingredients/Tools

4 small pears, washed, core removed, roughly chopped. Please leave the skin on.
100g whole rolled oats
1 x crushed weetbix
250g white SR flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch bi carb
1 tsp cinnamon
70g canola oil
2 eggs
50g runny honey
200ml milk
Muffin tray for 12 muffins
Bowl/spoon/pot/oven

Method

Put pears onto the boil with enough water to cover them. Boil until soft, then turn off, drain water (into a cup for someone to drink) then let sit to cool.
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix oats, weetbix, flour, baking powder, bi carb & cinnamon into a bowl & mix.
Make a well in the middle of this dry mix, then add oil, eggs, milk & runny honey. Mix the wet ingredients a little on their own in the middle before mixing through the dry mix. Mix well.
Add pears & mix.
Fill each muffin hole to the top.
Place in oven for 25-30 minutes. Muffin middle will bounce back when its ready. Let them partly cool in the tray before taking them out.
Store in an air tight container for no more than a week.