Pear Pecan Muffins

You don't have to be watching your fat or calories to love these muffins. They bake up pretty with pears, but you could just as well use apples. Pecans marry well with both.

Makes 1 dozen
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/4 cups chopped fresh ripe pear, unpeeled
1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted Georgia pecans
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add pear and pecans and toss to coat. Make a well in the center. In a glass measuring cup whisk together milk, oil and egg. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Divide batter among 12 lightly greased muffin cups (or you may line them with muffin papers). Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans at once. Let cool on a wire rack.
Packaging tip: Place muffins in a pretty box lined with parchment paper.

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Overnight Pecan Coffee Cake

What could be simpler than assembling a cake in the pan the night before, then the next morning popping it into the oven to bake? The results are stunning, moist and memorable as you get warm cake and a glass of milk on a busy morning.

Serves 12 to 15
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Cake:
10 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped Georgia pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Place the butter and sugars in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until eggs are just incorporated. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to batter alternately with buttermilk. Beat a minute or two at medium-low so that batter is smooth.
Lightly mist and flour a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil and flour. Shake out the excess flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon. With your fingers, scatter this topping evenly over the batter. Dribble the topping with melted butter or margarine. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Place the pan in the oven and bake 30 to 32 minutes, or until the cake springs back in the center when lightly pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool to 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission

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