When friends drop in, it’s nice to have the ingredients on hand to make a quick, but elegant appetizer to pair with cocktails, lemonade, soft drinks, or coffee. As long as there are Basic Master Mixes on the pantry shelf, these elegant little Pear, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Mini-Muffins take only about 10 minutes of hands-on time and 15 minutes in the oven. They’re great for an appetizer buffet, too, or even as an accompaniment to soups or salads.

When removed from the oven, the muffins have a crispy cheese topping that is irresistible. They are also good at room temperature. While best to serve these muffins fresh from the oven, they can be wrapped in foil and re-warmed in a 350° oven for 10 minutes or so. Unfortunately, muffins warmed in the microwave become rubbery, so an oven is the best solution. Although the recipe calls for Gorgonzola, any kind of similar blue-veined cheese may be substituted, such as one of the many varieties of Blue Cheese or English Stilton. The following recipe has been tested with all three baking mixes; the favorite among testers was the whole wheat, but any of the three can be used interchangeably.

36 Mini Muffins

2 cups Whole Wheat Master Baking Mix
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4" dice
3/4 cup Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled (or substitute a similar blue-veined cheese)
1/2 cup walnut(s), coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.


2. Spray 36 mini-muffin cups liberally with non-stick spray.


3. Mix the baking mix, egg, and milk, just until moistened.


4. Fold in the pears, cheese, walnuts, and pepper.


5. Using a 1" scoop, scoop the batter into each of the greased muffin cups.


6. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.


7. Remove from the oven, run a knife around each muffin and tilt in the muffin cup to prevent the heat from making the bottoms soggy.


8. Best served hot, but also good at room temperature.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 63 Calories from Fat 29
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 45% Protein 11% Carb. 44%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 3 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 9 mg
Sodium 114 mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 7 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 2 g

Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 1%