Peaches and Cream Muffins
I know, I know. It’s September. Summer is unofficially over. But sorry, I couldn’t help it; I had to get one more summer stone fruit recipe in here before autumn descends upon the nations.
And the summer stone fruits of choice: peaches. And the dessert of choice: peaches and cream muffins.
C’mon - it’s still only the first week of September. It’s not thatttt crazy to be posting a peach dessert, is it?? Trust me we’ll get to the fall desserts soon enough. But for now, enjoy the last summer fruit recipe on the blog till Spring 2020 (wow that sounds futuristic and veryyyyy far away).
So, let’s get down to the deets. Like what exactly makes these muffins “peaches and cream.” You know I’m about to tell you. Lend all your ears.
First: peaches. Soft, juicy, tender, succulent, sweet peaches. Two of them. Cubed and unpeeled, is my personal preference. That’s the peach component, covered. Moving on.
The cream: not actually cream. Just a glossy, sweet, simple vanilla glaze. Drizzled over the peach muffins after they’re baked.
Actually. These peaches and cream muffins are completely dairy-free. Which might surprise you, especially when the muffins have got the word “cream” in their title. But they are. No butter. No cream. No milk (well, there’s milk in the glaze, but you can easily sub in any non-dairy milk).
Instead of butter, oil is used. Oil makes these muffins extra soft and tender and moist and fluffy and stay that way for quite a few days.
And instead of milk or buttermilk etcetera, orange juice is used. We’ve already discussed this a couple times on the blog, but my favorite liquid of choice in cakes and such is orange juice. It lends the most and best flavor, imho.
Oh, and granulated sugar also helps keep these muffins light and airy and fluffy. No brown sugar here, folks.
And can we please discuss the crumble now, which is the best part of muffins in general, according to me? Great, let’s.
It’s a generous and tasty one, filled with flour and sugar and vanilla and oil and spices.
Ah, the spices. I forgot to mention them. There’s ground cinnamon and nutmeg in both the muffin batter and the crumble mixture. Which, come to think of it, almost makes these peaches and cream muffins a fall dessert, eh! Cuz cinnamon and nutmeg are autumn viby (not a word).
Just so you know, I love nutmeg with summer fruits. End of story.
These delicate peaches and cream muffins are easy and quick to make, and, just like last week’s tahini blondies, are a great choice for a lunch box or work treat.
Because muffins are officially a more wholesome dessert choice (even though, lessssbehonest, not really, cuz these muffins are essentially cake in muffin molds). But anyway. Add them in. As a treat. I mean, there are peaches inside. That has to count for something nutrition-wise, no?
Soft and moist. Light and fluffy. Filled with juicy, sweet peaches. Generously topped with crumble. Drizzled with a vanilla glaze.
Yeah, these peaches and cream muffins are pretty amazing. Let’s just say they’ll make a beautiful and delicious addition to your countertop until the reality of fall actually sinks in.
Peaches and Cream Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
¾ cup oil
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups packed flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large peaches, cubed
Crumble:
¾ cup flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 tablespoons oil
Glaze:
½ cup confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk (or non-dairy milk), for thinning
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. Pour the flour, baking powder, and spices over the wet ingredients and stir everything together until just combined. Stir in the cubed peaches last.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the crumble ingredients until a wet, sandy mixture forms.
5. Using a large ice cream scoop, divide the batter between the muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with the crumble. Bake 22-27 minutes, until muffins spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean. Let muffins cool before glazing.
6. Whisk together the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract with enough milk to form a thick yet pourable glaze. Drizzle glaze over the cooled muffins.
