Yield: 18 muffins

4 lg. pears (about 2 lb.) peeled, cored, diced
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 lg. eggs, beaten to blend
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 18 muffin cups. Mix pears and sugar in medium bowl. Blend oil, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in another medium bowl. Stir pear mixture into egg mixture. Mix in dry ingredients. Fold in walnuts; do not overmix. Divide batter among prepared cups. Mix topping ingredients together, (recipe below). Top each muffin with approximately 1 teaspoon of mixture. Bake until tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TOPPING:

4 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/3 c. finely chopped walnuts
1/3 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg