Pear, chocolate and marzipan muffins

Marzipan mixed in the batter is what makes these muffins super juicy and very special. Don't get me wrong – you need pear, chocolate and cardamom too, because all these things together give them the special taste and texture, but the marzipan in that batter plays a huge role.

Ingredients

100 g wholegrain wheat flour, medium grind
180 g wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp of cardamom powder
2 eggs
250 ml yoghurt
200 g marzipan cream*
140 g burnt butter**
tsp vanilla extract
140 g cleaned pear, cut into small pieces
120 g dark 70% chocolate, in pieces

Prepare

Preheat the oven to 200°. Line the muffin tin with muffin papers. Mix pears with 1 tbsp of flour so that they don't get watery when mixed into the batter.

Beat the eggs and marzipan cream with a fork in a bowl. Add the yoghurt, vanilla, and butter and mix. In a separate bowl, add flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom and mix. Add sugar to egg mixture, mix and gradually add to the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated – don’t over mix. Add the chocolate, pears, and mix.

Fill the muffins 2/3 full. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 -23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When done, remove and cool 5 minutes in the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

* If you can’t buy marzipan cream/ paste, make your own by processing marzipan with a bit of water so that it sticks to the spoon when turned over, but is still creamy.

** Burnt butter is very simple to make and I usually make much more than I need so that I can add it to other dishes. Place butter in a pan on a low heat. Swirl the pan as the butter melts and begins to bubble. It may even splatter. Continue on low heat (but if you’re feeling confident, you can turn the heat up to medium) until the solids begin to settle on the bottom of the pan and the butter begins smell like caramel. When the solids have settled, remove from heat, transfer to a dish, and cool slightly. Strain the clear part, which is the burnt butter. At this point you can leave it as is, or add thyme, garlic, caraway, or all of the above. If you are using the butter for dessert, add finely grated orange or lemon zest.

Recipe, style and photos: Signe Meirāne
All accessories, balnkets and plates from H&M Home
Photos taken with Sony alpha 7s