The perfect sweet treat without any added sugar. These pear and sticky date muffins are great for lunchboxes, picnics, a snack or even dessert.

Makes: 12
Prep: 10 mins    Cook: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups of pitted dates
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 300ml boiling water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 over ripe pears, mashed or blended
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup of wholemeal self raising flour
• ½ cup plain flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and put 12 patty pans in a muffin tin
2. Finely dice dates or blend using a food processor and place in a bowl
3. Sprinkle baking soda on top of dates, then pour over boiling water
4. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes
5. In a separate bowl combine oil, eggs, pear and vanilla and beat lightly
6. Combine with date mixture and flours,  stir until combined
7. Pour batter into muffin tin and bake for about 25 minutes. Check muffins with a skewer

Notes

Serving suggestion: serve muffin in the middle of some sliced strawberries.

Try sprinkling some coconut or a slice of pear on the top before baking.

When you don’t have pears, try using over-ripe bananas or apple sauce instead.