Pears are a valuable addition to one's diet for reasons other than their deliciousness though.
WARNING: things are about to get a little gross.
Pears contain sorbitol which is a natural osmotic laxative (the type of laxative that "just makes it easier to go", as the commercials say). So do prunes and plums, but I know a lot of folks are anti-prune even though you shouldn't be...but that's another post.
If you're thinking about prepping some snacks and meals ahead in preparation for having a baby, pears should be on your list somehow. If you've just ejected another human being from your body, whether via the baby chute or through the "sunroof", chances are there's gonna be some issues in the osmotic laxative department (personal experience speaking here). If you're helping someone who is laid up after a surgery or long illness, chance are they're having some issues in the osmotic laxative department. If you're caring for an elderly person, chances are...well, you get it. Medication (particularly pain medication), surgeries, inactivity due to injury or bed rest, dehydration from illness, normal aging all tend to cause constipation, and pears will help.
OK, enough poop talk. Pears are good for what ails you.
I've frozen batches of these muffins before just as is. They are gooood, but get a little soggy on top in the freezer. I've played with different ways to freezer-fortify them, and what I've come up with is a good solution I think that can be applied to any type of muffin. A streusel topping that incorporates nuts or coconut will stand up to the freezer pretty well. The nuts/coconut doesn't lose crunch and keeps the otherwise-soggy muffin tops covered up.
You can always make the batter and freeze it for later baking which totally side-steps the freezer-sog problem, but it does require back-end time to bake. If you freeze before baking, spoon the batter into paper cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Freeze the whole pan, then remove the filled liners to a ziptop bag for storage. To thaw, put the liner-cups in the muffin pan while still frozen and let thaw in the fridge or at room temp.
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