Cranberry Pear Muffins with Streusel Topping
Fresh pears and tart cranberries make these easy muffins perfect for fall and holiday baking. Finish them with a buttery cinnamon streusel and optional icing for a bakery-style treat at home.
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Back in high school, I worked at Dairy Queen while my younger sister worked directly across the street at Dunkin’. And somehow, one of my favorite treats from Dunkin’ wasn’t a donut at all. It was their cranberry muffins.
These cranberry pear muffins aren’t meant to be a copycat recipe, but that combination of tart cranberries and a bakery-style muffin still gives me a little nostalgia every time I make them.
This version combines fresh pear and cranberries with chopped almonds and warm cinnamon. Top with a buttery streusel before baking, and finish with a little icing if you want to make them extra special for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
Ingredients for Cranberry Pear Muffins
You don’t need anything complicated to make these muffins, but the combination of fresh fruit, almonds, and cinnamon gives them plenty of flavor.
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How To Make Cranberry Pear Muffins
- Make the Muffin Batter – Start by whisking together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and mix just until combined. Stir in the melted coconut oil, then gently fold in the chopped pear, cranberries and almonds. Once you add the flour, avoid overmixing the batter.
- Make the Cinnamon Streusel – In a separate bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix until soft crumbs begin to form. You want the mixture to clump together but still be loose enough to sprinkle over the muffins.
- Fill the Muffin Pan – Line your muffin pan with paper liners and divide the batter evenly between them, filling each about ¾ full. Generously sprinkle the cinnamon streusel over the top. Don’t pack it down. Keeping those crumbs loose gives you a better streusel topping after baking.
- Bake – Bake the muffins at 375°F for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before adding any icing.
- Add the Optional Icing – These muffins are delicious straight from the oven with just the cinnamon streusel, so icing is completely optional. For a more bakery-style finish, drizzle your favorite icing over the slightly cooled muffins. You can also top them with a few chopped or sliced fresh cranberries, especially if you’re serving them for the holidays.
Find the measurements and full recipe below!
For even more delicious breakfast ideas, you will like these:
Tips & Tricks
- CHOP THE PEAR SMALL – Smaller pieces distribute more evenly and give you pear throughout the muffin instead of a few large chunks.
- ROUGHLY CHOP THE CRANBERRIES – You still want recognizable pieces of cranberry, but chopping them helps spread that tart flavor throughout the batter.
- DON’T FORGET THE ALMONDS – They aren’t just a garnish. They’re folded directly into the batter and give the soft muffins a nice contrasting texture.
- DON’T OVERMIX – Once you’ve added the flour, mix only until everything comes together. Gently fold in the fruit and almonds at the end.
- KEEP THE STREUSEL LOOSE – Sprinkle it generously over the muffins, but don’t press it into the batter.
- WAIT BEFORE ADDING ICING – Give the muffins at least 5 minutes to cool so the icing doesn’t immediately disappear into the hot streusel.
An Easy Muffin for Holiday Mornings
Fresh cranberries naturally make these muffins feel a little more special during the holidays. The red cranberries peeking through the muffins and that crumbly cinnamon topping make them pretty enough for a Thanksgiving brunch or Christmas morning without requiring much extra work.
Serve them with an egg casserole, fresh fruit and coffee for an easy holiday breakfast. You can make them a little more casual by skipping the icing or add the drizzle when you want them to feel more like a bakery treat.
And because the recipe makes 16 muffins, you’ll have enough for a family breakfast, with extras for anyone who wanders back into the kitchen later.
Storage
Let leftover muffins cool completely before placing them in an airtight container. If you’re making them ahead for a holiday breakfast, I’d wait to add the optional icing until closer to serving so the streusel still looks its best.
These cranberry pear muffins are one of those recipes that feels especially right once fresh cranberries start showing up in stores. The sweet pear, tart cranberries, crunchy almonds and cinnamon streusel give you a little bit of everything in each bite.
Add the icing for a holiday brunch, or leave them exactly as they come out of the oven for an easy fall breakfast.
Cranberry Pear Muffins Recipe
These easy cranberry pear muffins combine sweet pear, tart cranberries and chopped almonds with warm cinnamon and a buttery streusel topping. Add an optional icing drizzle for a bakery-style muffin that's perfect for fall breakfasts, Thanksgiving brunch or Christmas morning.
Ingredients
Muffins
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1½ teaspoons Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted
- ¾ cup Pear, cored and chopped – About 1 large pear
- ¾ cup Fresh Cranberries, roughly chopped
- ½ cup Almonds, chopped
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons Butter, melted
Optional Topping
- Your Favorite Icing
- Fresh Cranberries, chopped or sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix just until combined.
- Stir in the melted coconut oil. Gently fold in the chopped pear, cranberries and almonds until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter for the streusel. Mix until soft crumbs begin to form.
- Divide the muffin batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Generously sprinkle the streusel over each muffin without packing it down.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for at least 5 minutes. If desired, drizzle with your favorite icing and garnish with fresh chopped or sliced cranberries before serving.
Notes
- DON'T OVERMIX – Once the flour is added, mix only until everything is combined to help keep the muffins tender.
- CHOP THE FRUIT SMALL – Smaller pieces of pear and cranberry distribute more evenly throughout each muffin.
- DON'T PACK THE STREUSEL – Sprinkle it loosely over the batter so it stays crumbly as the muffins bake.
- WAIT BEFORE ICING – Let the muffins cool for at least 5 minutes before adding icing so it doesn't immediately melt into the warm muffins.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 357mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 3gSugar: 26gProtein: 6g
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Hi, I’m Brittany, and I believe life at home should feel easier, not heavier.
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