pear and pecan muffins

If you've followed my recipes and some of my blogs you know that my dad was having some health issues and stayed at our house for a while recovering from major surgery. 
My mom brought over a case of canned pears, thinking my dad liked them. He didn't. So here I was with a ton of Pears.  In a way it was nice and I was thankful because my son and I are allergic to apples, and I usually replace things that call for apples with pears... However, I usually use fresh instead of can items.  
I have to admit, I am pretty sure that in this recipe it did not matter if they were fresh or canned, and it may even be better that they are canned because the muffins came out super moist!
It honestly was a treat to not have to peel Pears and these muffins are so tasty! 
 

Ingredients: 
Topping: 
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Muffin batter: 
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 cans (15 oz) pears- Chopped up into small cubes
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions: Makes 24 muffins
Preheat oven to 350
Line muffin pan with muffins cups and spray with cooking spray
Make topping first
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla
In another separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt
Add the flour mixture to the bowl with egg mixture
Stir until just combined (may be lumpy) 
Gently fold in pears and pecans
Fill muffin cups 1/3 full
Sprinkle with some topping
Bake until muffins are golden, about 20-25 minutes
Place on wire rack to cool