Pear ricotta muffins: Round 2

        Every muffin deserves a second chance. After my oven disaster last week, I had to give the poor muffins I undercooked a chance to redeem themselves. The pear ricotta combination was just too good not to try again and the ingredients were still taking up space in my tiny fridge.
        I made a few changes to the recipe I made before, reducing the buttermilk and a few other things. I kept the ricotta amount the same to preserve the richness and flavor it provides. Regrettably, canned pears were my only option this time around. The pears I bought the other day are like rocks but I have cans coming out of my ears. Most importantly, I used the celsius oven thermometer that came with the boat to make sure the oven was preheated before I put the muffins in. Lesson learned!
        We had a couple friends over for dinner on the boat last night and we all enjoyed round 2 of pear ricotta muffins for dessert. I got the boat all warmed up by running the oven all evening.
        Here is the newly revised recipe, as well as some better pictures of my cheesy, fruity creations. This time the batter comfortably fits in 12 cups. The baking time is still a little on the long side. I guess the ricotta slows things down.

Pear Ricotta Muffins
Re-adapted from Cherry Ricotta Muffins from Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Cafe.

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (or butter, melted and cooled)
2 cups flour (I used about 3/4 whole wheat pastry – all I had left – and 1/4 whole wheat)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 can of pears in juice, drained and chopped very small (or 1-2 fresh pears, depending on their size)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs into the ricotta one at a time.
Add the buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and allspice.
Slowly stir dry ingredients into wet until barely mixed.
Fold in pear.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups with liners or greased with a little oil. The cups will be very full.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.