Blackberry, Pear & Pecan Muffins

We are back in lockdown 2.0 so it makes perfect sense to get into the kitchen to create some nourishing recipes that get the kids involved and that make perfect snacks to enjoy for morning or afternoon tea. My recipe for Blackberry, Pear and Pecan Spelt muffins tick these boxes and one I think the whole family will enjoy.  

I love baking, but I don’t consider myself a traditional baker by any means. Instead I find that I am more of a an experimental baker using with different flours, fats and sugars to achieve the right balance of flavour, texture but also nutrients. For this recipe I have swapped up traditional white flour found in Driscoll’s original recipe and used wholemeal spelt, this is such an easy swap to make when baking and gives your muffins a slightly more savoury and nutty flavour and contains more of nature’s goodness than refined white flour. I have also used coconut oil instead of butter which gives the muffins a nice texture and flavour as well as being dairy free. But the piece de résistance of these muffins is plump, juicy blackberries that can often get overlooked by their brighter berry cousins in baked goods, but they lend a delicious subtle sweetness and slightly tart flavour to any muffin as well as being super high in antioxidants, and a great source of vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, E, K and also being packed with fibre, something we all need more of. 

My kids love eating handfuls of blackberries straight from the punnet too, which I welcome with open arms. There is nothing more rewarding for me as a mum to see my kids gobble up fresh berries for breakfast with yoghurt or on their own as a snack. Not only does it contribute to their “5 a day” serves of fresh fruit and veg, but I know I can trust they are getting the best quality and freshness as well as supporting local growers as Driscoll’s is one of Australia’s biggest distributors of Australian-grown berries with over 100+ years’ experience. 

For anyone else that is currently in lockdown with me over the next six week, I am with you! It’s definitely a difficult time for everyone, but making the most of trying something new in the kitchen, getting the kids involved in a small way in the kitchen and treating yourself with yummy, home cooked meals and snacks is a great way to nourishing yourself and your family. Enjoy! Dani 

Blackberry, Pear and Pecan Spelt Muffins 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Makes 12 muffins 

Ingredients 

2 cups wholemeal spelt flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ cup raw caster sugar or coconut sugar 

¼ cup brown sugar 

2 free range eggs 

¾ cup dairy free milk (drinking coconut or almond milk) 

½ cup unrefined full flavoured coconut oil, melted 

1 pear, peeled and small dice 

2 x 125g punnets Driscoll’s blackberries 

½ cup finely chopped pecans 

1 teaspoon lemon zest 

Method

Preheat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees 

Spray flexible muffin pan with oil or place muffin liners in muffin tray 

Combine dry ingredients, spelt flour, baking powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. 

Combine wet ingredients, eggs, milk and coconut oil and whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and using a large spoon fold mixture together. Add blackberries, pear, lemon zest and pecans and fold into mixture evenly. 

Divide mixture between the muffin pan equally and bake for 25 minutes, until golden on top and muffin bounces back when pressed in the centre. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool on cake rack. Store in air tight container.