The Muffin Man

Matt is one of those people who doesn't eat breakfast.  I don't understand those people, since I basically wake up hungry, but he doesn't seem to have that problem.  I never knew this about him until I got laid off and am home in the mornings now.  Before, I'd leave for work while he was still asleep (ah, the life of a grad student), so I had no idea how he sustained himself in my absence (and I still don't know that).  No breakfast certainly doesn't work for me - I get cranky, and quickly - but I guess it works for him.  Until now (mwahahahaha). 

I've become something of a breakfast-pusher, and muffins are my gateway breakfast food.  Everyone loves a muffin, right?  And since his last assignment for the semester is due today, I thought some warm homemade muffins would be just the thing to help him cross the finish line!  I mean, that would totally work for me. 

What he really wants in the morning.

Turns out, muffin or no, Matt is not that much of a breakfast person.  Either that, or my muffin-pushing skills are limited.  Normally, if I'm making muffins for me, I put all kinds of fruit in them and really go to town.  Matt isn't really into a lot of fruit, and the ones he does like, like melons, aren't great for baking, so that doesn't leave a lot of options.  Today's muffins have chopped pears in them, so I shouldn't complain too much about his distaste for fruit.  But mostly what he likes about muffins is the crumbles on top.  "More crumbles" is invariably his response when I ask what would make them better.

 And can you blame him?  That's butter, brown sugar, and flour in there - you can't go wrong.  As my family's mantra goes, "Anything tastes good with enough butter and brown sugar on it."  So true.  Which means maybe that's how I should start pushing fruit in this house... 

 
Check out that crumble-to-muffin ratio.  Pretty high on the crumbles.  I've taken to using whole wheat flour for the crumbles because I think it adds a nice texture.  That could be all in my head, but it's a little chunkier and a little nuttier than regular flour (I might also be a little nuttier than regular flour), and I think the extra texture in the crumbles makes them even more delicious. 

The muffins had the unfortunate karmic coincidence (is that possible?  Can you have a karmic coincidence?  Or does something being karmic mean that it is by definition not coincidence?  I think that's it.) of being done at the exact same time that our new air conditioner was delivered, so they were in the oven for a smidge too long. 

This is a pretty basic muffin recipe, adapted from my grandma's Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  I've changed a few things about it, and added on the crumbles, since someone I know seems to be a fan of them. 

Buttermilk Pear Muffins

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup quick oats
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour (can use up to half whole wheat)
1/3 cup sugar (can use brown sugar if you want - see family mantra above)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup chopped pears
1 well-beaten egg
1/4 cup oil or melted shortening

Preheat oven to 375, grease a standard muffin pan.  Combine oats and buttermilk, let sit for ten minutes. 

In the meantime, make the crumbles: mix together the 1/2 flour, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and melted butter.  Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger into bowl. 

Add egg, oil, and pears to oatmeal mixture.  Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just til moistened.  Fill muffin pan 2/3 full, add crumbles on top.  Bake for about 25 minutes. 

Let cool five minutes in pan, then remove to cool completely.