Remember the butternut squash bread I made last week? Well, I’ve taken it one step further. On Sunday morning, after a blast of cold air arrived, I chopped up a ripe pear, shredded a cupful of butternut squash, and pulled out my mixing bowls. These muffins rose beautifully in the oven and made my entire house smell like the very best parts of fall.
Earlier this week, I photographed another birth. This first time mama labored with such strength and beauty…but oh-my-heavens what a long birth! I left my house at 4:00pm on Wednesday and didn’t return home until 10:00am on Thursday morning.
I’ve gained even more respect for my sweet sister, who works as a night nurse, in West Virginia. After staying up all night to capture Zebulon’s entrance into the world, I could barely function. And I feel like my body is STILL trying to catch up from that missed night of sleep. But was it worth it? Absolutely. And there’s little that a strong cup of coffee and one of these muffins can’t fix.
Pear Butternut Squash Muffins
1 ripe pear, unpeeled and chopped
1 cup shredded butternut squash
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper wrappers. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together butter and coconut sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, beating well after each addition. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk into butter-sugar mixture. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in butternut squash and pear. Scoop into prepared muffin pan. Upon placing in oven, reduce temperature to 375 F. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until muffin domes have peaked and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
