Low Carb Nashi Pear, Almond & Cinnamon Muffins

Low Carb Nashi Pear, Almond & Cinnamon Muffins. Oh My Goodness…these are incredible!!!!!

2g net carbs. Let me say that again. 2g net carbs. And they taste a-ma-zing! I’m sure you can tell how excited I am to be sharing this recipe with you all 😀

Not only is the flavour combination out of this world, the texture is also pure luxury. Gooey, tender, moist, soft. You have to make these keto-friendly muffins to understand why I’m literally bursting with pride and joy. I had been wanting to try out Nashi pears for ages, and I finally have. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.

So, let’s get the controversy out of the way. Can pears be keto-friendly? Yes, they can!

Although they are regarded as a high-carb fruit, pears are nowhere near as carb-loaded as bananas, or grapes, or figs – for example. Sensible judgment and moderation is what matters, not hearsay, draconian lists. Let me just remind you again that each of these wholesome muffins contains 2g net carbs. Which pears you use, and their level of ripeness, is also crucial. Nashi pears (aka Asian Pears, Japanese Pears, Chinese Pears) are lower in carbs than any other type of pear on the planet (that I’m aware of). Hence my choice.

Nashi Pears are One of The Best Fruit Choices on Keto… if consumed judiciously.

Perhaps better known as the Asian Pear, Nashi tastes a bit like apple and a bit like pear. These fruits are crisp, sweet, juicy, and bursting with flavour. Making them the perfect choice for a keto-friendly dessert. Choose fruits that are pale yellow in colour. If they’re brown, or have brown specs, they”re too ripe.

Let’s take a look at the carbohydrate content (per 100g/3.5oz):

BLUEBERRIES = Total Carbs 14.5g | Fibre 2.5g | Net Carbs 12g

CONFERENCE PEARS = Total Carbs 10g | Fibre 2g | Net Carbs 8g

NASHI PEARS = Total Carbs 10.6g | Fibre 3.6g | Net Carbs 7g

It’s easy to see that the keto favourites (blueberries) are actual way higher in carbs, whilst pears aren’t so bad after all. Obviously, eating a whole, big pear (just like eating a bowl-full of blueberries) would be silly. But in small quantities, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, if you cannot get Nashi pears where you live, or if they’re out of season, you can comfortably replace them with Conference (European) pears. I wouldn’t recommend other types, as the carbs content can vary greatly.

If you opt for Conference pears, do make sure they’re neither rock-hard nor soft and watery.

How To Make Low Carb Nashi Pear, Almond & Cinnamon Muffins

Once you’ve peeled, cored and chopped the pears, cook them briefly until they soften. How long for depends on whether you want to bite into soft and gooey muffins, or you prefer some crunchy bits. For a combination of both, I suggest you cook half the chopped up pears for a few minutes, then add the rest.

While you let the pears cool, mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, and stir it all together. Line and fill your 12-hole muffin tray, or individual muffin moulds, making sure you divide the batter equally. Bake and let cool. A dusting of icing sugar is all that’s needed to make them tastefully simple but picture-perfect.

To store, just leave on your counter-top wrapped in cling film – no need to keep chilled.

Enjoy!

LOW CARB NASHI PEAR, ALMOND & CINNAMON MUFFINS

Author: Antya

Nutrition

Yield: 12 muffins

Serving: 1 muffin
Calories: 172

Fat: 14g
Net Carbs: 2g
Protein: 8g

Recipe type: Desserts

Cuisine: Ketogenic. Low Carb. LCHF. Vegetarian. Sugar Free. Grain Free. Gluten Free.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Moist, gooey, soft and incredibly flavoursome, these muffins are perfectly keto-friendly and super-healthy.

Ingredients

2 nashi pears (300g whole - 200g net after peeling and coring)
2 TBSP icing 'sugar' (U.S. alternative HERE) or Make your Own
1 TBSP dark rum
100g smooth almond butter (U.S. alternative HERE)
100g high-oleic cold-pressed sunflower oil (U.S. alternative HERE)
1 tsp vanilla extract (U.S. alternative HERE)
100g unsweetened almond milk
70g extra-fine almond flour (U.S. alternative HERE)
40g whey protein isolate (U.S. alternative HERE)
70g erythritol (U.S. alternative HERE)
1 tsp pure stevia powder (U.S. alternative HERE)
2 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP ground cinnamon

Instructions

peel and core nashi pears and cut them into small chunks.
place cut pears in a small pan and add icing 'sugar', rum and ½ TBSP cinnamon; bring to the boil, then simmer until soft (5-8 minutes), stirring often; set aside to cool.
pre-heat oven to 180°C static.
weigh and combine almond flour, whey protein, sweeteners, baking powder and ½ TBSP cinnamon.
using a separate bowl, mix almond butter, oil, vanilla extract and milk, then pour into the dry mix.
stir well, then incorporate cooled pears.
divide mixture equally between 12 lined muffin holes or individual moulds and bake for 15-18 minutes (until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out without any wetness).
let cool, dust with icing 'sugar' and serve.

Notes

If you use Conference pears instead of Nashi, the macros for each muffin will bear no significant difference. As they're sweeter, I recommend that you REDUCE icing 'sugar to 1 TBSP and OMIT pure stevia powder when mixing dry ingredients.

Stir the chopped pears constantly to begin with, otherwise the cinnamon/icing may stick and burn; after a minute or so, the pears will start to release their juice, so you can stir less often.

I use Sainsbury's Smooth 100% Almond Butter, which has a superior flavour and only contains 4.3g net carbs per 100g. Different brands may well contain more carbs.

The only way to ensure accurate measurement of ingredients is with Metric Kitchen Scales. Click HERE for the ones I use, or HERE for U.S. alternative.