• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Caroline's Cooking
  • Recipe Index
  • By country or region
  • By season or holiday
  • Subscribe
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • By country or region
  • By season or holiday
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • By country or region
    • By season or holiday
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

    Pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins

    June 22, 2020 by Caroline's Cooking

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Reddit
    • Yummly
    These pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins combine a delicious combination of flavors. The soft fruit, chocolate, sweetness and a little tang from sourdough all work so well together. And they're easy to make, too.⁠ ⁠ #pear #muffins #sourdough #sourdoughdiscard

    These pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins combine a delicious combination of flavors. The soft fruit, chocolate, sweetness and a little tang from sourdough all work so well together. And they're easy to make, too.

    Jump to Recipe
    Pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins in tin with cup of coffee to side

    This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

    I used to make sourdough now and then a while back but all too often, it has fallen by the wayside and I've had to abandon my starter. I told myself when we moved, though, I would get back into it. So I got a starter going not too long after we got here.

    Little did I know that it would become all the rage with the changing events. 

    one muffin in front of others split open to show pieces of chocolate and pear

    While I do like making bread relatively often, I was also keen to explore other uses for sourdough starter since I assume we weren't the only people who didn't necessarily need a loaf all the time.

    Plus, I do sometimes find the timeline for making then enjoying a loaf doesn't always work out for us. 

    You may have already seen my sourdough pancakes and sourdough cinnamon rolls, both of which we loved. I was keen to try sourdough in muffins and have played around with additions. Having landed on this combination, I knew I had to share as this worked so incredibly well.

    adding wet ingredients, pear and chocolate chips to dry ingredients

    Using sourdough starter in baked goods

    Don't think of your sourdough starter just as a leavening agent, it can also add flavor to baked goods that have another raising agent. Just as the starter adds a lovely slightly sour flavor to bread, it can add an extra depth and slight sourness to other things.

    Really, the options are pretty much endless in terms of what you can add it to. As long as there is both flour and some liquid, you can swap in some starter.

    Exactly how much can vary, so it can be a little trial and error, but a good place to start is around a ½ cup of starter for a medium-sized recipe, as I have used here. 

    mixture divided between muffin cases

    Assuming your starter is 100% hydration (so you have been adding the same weight of both water and flour), then you can use it to replace roughly equal amounts of both flour and liquid from a recipe.

    So if you add in ½ cup of sourdough starter, you can reduce the flour by about ¼ cup and the liquid by ¼ cup (roughly speaking). 

    You can use both an active and less active sourdough discard as well. If the starter os more active, it will add more list to whatever you add it to. If it's not active, you may need a little extra leavening agent (baking soda, baking powder or yeast) to compensate. But again, it depends a little what you are making.

    Pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, ready to bake

    Making sourdough muffins

    Here, the sourdough is really just for flavor and so you don't need to worry too much whether the starter is active or not. It also means you don't have to wait around for anything to rise, so these come together quickly. 

    They follow the typical formula for muffins:

    • Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl.
    • Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl (as well as the sugar).
    • Add them together, along with the add-ins, in this case chunks of pear and chocolate.
    Half of a pear chocolate chip sourdough muffin held in hand

    The pear should be ripe but still firm for these. That way, the chunks add a nice sweetness but don't become mush.

    I've topped these with a little cinnamon sugar to give a nice extra little burst of sweetness, flavor and crunch on the top. You could add a streusel topping if you prefer but this is easier and still works really well.

    Will leftover muffins keep?

    If you have leftover muffins, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. I'd recommend warming them slightly before eating - just around 10-20 seconds in the microwave is plenty, or warm in a low oven.

    Pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins with one sitting on top of tin, others in tin

    These pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins are easy to make, with a delicious combination of flavors. They have sweetness, a slight tang and wonderfully gooey chunks of chocolate. Both a great way to put your starter to use in a different way and a tasty treat with a cup of coffee or tea.

    Try these other tasty sweet treats:

    • Mini lemon almond flour muffins
    • Apple snack cake
    • Persian love cake cupcakes
    • Apple and bacon cornmeal scones
    • Rhubarb muffins
    • Plus get more snack recipes, both sweet and savory, in the archives.
    Pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins in tin with cup of coffee to side
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins

    These muffins are a delicious combination of flavors, not overly sweet or heavy but with indulgent bites of chocolate and fruit.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8 (or 7, if a bit fuller)
    Calories: 206kcal
    Author: Caroline's Cooking
    SaveSaved!

    Ingredients

    • 140 g all purpose flour 1 cup (plain flour)
    • ¾ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 60 g unsalted butter ¼ cup/4 tbsp, melted
    • 1 egg room temperature
    • 50 g sugar ¼ cup
    • 110 g sourdough starter ½ cup
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 100 g pear (peeled cored weight) approx ½ cup when small dice
    • 40 g dark chocolate chips ¼ cup

    To top

    • 1 ½ tablespoon demerara sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Lightly oil or line 6 or 7 muffin spaces in a muffin tray.
    • In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg and sugar. Mix in the sourdough starter and vanilla.
    • Peel the pear, remove the core and cut into a relatively small dice. Add the wet ingredients (egg-starter mixture), the pear chunks and chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and mix until combined but try not to overmix.
    • Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tray, smoothing the top slightly. You will want them to be around ¾ full or slightly more.
    • Mix together the sugar and cinnamon to top and sprinkle a little over each muffin (you may not need all, up to you). Bake for approximately 20-23 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of one comes out clean. Best enjoyed slightly warm.

    Notes

    (Note I have used cupcake sized liners as opposed to oversize muffins - if you use the latter, you will get less and they may take slightly longer to bake.)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 217IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

    See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

    Try these other brunch ideas for #Brunchweek:

    Beverages Recipes

    • Easy Peach Frosé by Love & Confections

    Bread, Grains, and Cereal Recipes

    • Buttermilk Waffles by The Redhead Baker
    • Double Chocolate Banana Muffins by Family Around the Table
    • Sourdough Belgian-Style Waffles by Karen's Kitchen Stories
    • Strawberry Scones by Kate's Recipe Box
    • Vegan Anise French Toast by Happily Curated Chaos

    Savory Recipes

    • Bacon, Brie & Asparagus Quiche by Sweet Beginnings
    • Breakfast Tostadas by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
    • Carolina Shrimp And Grits by Nik Snacks
    • Everything Breakfast Pizza by The Spiffy Cookie

    Dessert Recipes

    • Keto Macarons by Keto Basic AF
    • Lemon Macarons Recipe by April Golightly
    • Pasta Frola (Argentinian Lattice Tart) by Tara's Multicultural Table
    • Sprinkle Biscotti by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

    Remember to pin for later!

    These pear chocolate chip sourdough muffins combine a delicious combination of flavors. The soft fruit, chocolate, sweetness and a little tang from sourdough all work so well together. And they're easy to make, too.⁠ ⁠ #pear #muffins #sourdough #sourdoughdiscard
    « Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian tomato almond pesto)
    Tropical fruit salad »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Reddit
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Marie-Charlotte Chatelain

      July 11, 2020 at 7:40 am

      5 stars
      YAYYYY sourdough muffins must be my favorite baked goods ever! LOVE this recipe and the pear and chocolate combi is just WOW

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        July 11, 2020 at 7:48 am

        Thanks, sourdough muffins really are such a lovely treat, I agree, and the flavors here pair so well.

        Reply
    2. Tara

      June 22, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      Such wonderful flavors paired with the sourdough in these muffins! Perfect start to BrunchWeek!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        June 22, 2020 at 6:57 pm

        Thank you, the flavors all go so well!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Caroline's Cooking

    Welcome! I'm Caroline and this is where I share recipes inspired by travels, places I want to go, or just ideas from feeding the family. Most recipes are easy to make and healthier, but there are treats too!

    Read more →

    Try these popular recipes

    • Baked portobello mushrooms
    • Japanese milk bread
    • Tarta de Santiago (Spanish almond cake)
    • Pumpkin risotto
    • Swedish cardamom buns
    • Traditional English tea sandwiches

    Recent posts

    • Ravioli dolci (sweet ravioli)
    • Nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice)
    • Australian damper bread
    • Pomegranate smoothie

    Let's get social!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    Learn more

    • Privacy Policy
    • Language and measurements
    • About Caroline's Cooking
    • Web stories

    Caroline's Cooking is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    Cook the latest!

    Newsletter

    Signup for the latest recipes straight in your inbox!

    Thank you!

    Please check your inbox to confirm your email.

    .

    Copyright © Caroline's Cooking 2014 - 2022