Chinese 5 Spice Pear & Applesauce Muffins

The flavor of Chinese five-spice is cozy, comforting, and tastes just like fall! While it’s commonly associated with savory dishes, it can also add an interesting twist to sweet and fruity flavors. The warm and aromatic notes of cinnamon, cloves, and star anise work well with the delicate flavor of pears complementing their natural sweetness.

Chinese Five Spice Powder has been used in Chinese cooking for centuries. Although its origins are somewhat mysterious, it seems to have roots in traditional Chinese medicine. The belief was that this mixture would foster internal harmony by uniting the five main flavors traditionally employed in Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. By achieving this balance of flavors, aligned with the five main elements (earth, fire, water, metal, and wood), tradition held that one could achieve balance in mind and body.

This flavorful blend of spices typically includes star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds and while five spice powder won’t magically cure ailments, it can certainly elevate lackluster dishes.

Chinese five spice as been a favorite of mine for many years. I like it in both sweet and savory dishes but today I thought it would make these ordinary little fall muffins into something special – and it does!

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Chinese 5 Spice Pear & Applesauce Muffins

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Course

dessert

Cuisine

Chinese

Keyword

Chinese 5-spice pear & applesauce muffins

Servings

LARGE MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Muffins

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
• 1 large Asian pear, diced in 1/4-inch chunks

Topping

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter,

Course dessert Cuisine Chinese Keyword Chinese 5-spice pear & applesauce muffins Servings LARGE MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Muffins 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup applesauce 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder 1 large Asian pear, diced in 1/4-inch chunks Topping 1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal 1 Tbsp flour 2 Tbsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp butter,

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin cups with 8 jumbo papers or 12 regular size papers.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter & sugar then add applesauce, eggs & vanilla & mix until smooth.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt & 5-spice powder.
4. Add flour mixture to wet mixture, folding in only until barely combined then add diced pear & gently fold into mixture.
5. Scoop the batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Divide topping between muffins & gently spread over top using a fork. Bake 25-30 minutes & a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.