Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping

Breakfast, Southern, Summer / Thursday, June 18th, 2009

peach-muffin-1

Peaches are the Lolitas of the fruit world.

They look ripe-and-ready long before they actually are.

You can check an apple for bruises, tap a watermelon or pinch a grape to make sure it’s firm, but when it comes to peaches, it pays to ignore everything but the smell. I don’t mean the smell it has when you hold it to your nose and take a deep breath. I mean, keep walking until the air around them intoxicates you with the smell of sweet, summery peaches and thoughts of cobbler, pies and crips.

Saucers of peaches and cream.

Sticky grilled peaches topped with mascarpone and drizzles of orange blossom honey.

The scent of a truly ripe peach is so full of possibilities.

Possibilities like a heaping platter of Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping. Bright, juicy peach bits surrounded by a cake dark with cinnamon, allspice and rum. The streusel on top adds just the right amount of crunch, with the earthiness of the walnuts balancing the sweetness of the brown sugar. This is not some heavy, gummy, cloying, drive-thru muffin. It’s light and cakey, full of peaches at their peak.

If it turns out we really are what we eat, I want to be a peak peach.

Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping

Adapted from Sara Foster’s “The Foster’s Market Cookbook”

Almost any fresh or frozen fruit (except for very soft fruits like bananas or mango) can be substituted for the peaches. Go crazy!

Makes large 12 muffins

    Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    Muffin Batter:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled, pitted, chopped peaches
  1. For the Topping: In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the butter, and mix until well blended.
  2. For the Muffins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners, and spray the top of the pan lightly with nonstick spray.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, from flour to salt, and set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sour cream and rum or vanilla.
  5. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture. Stir until just moist and blended. Do not overmix.
  6. Fold in the peaches.
  7. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan with a large ice cream scoop (1/3-cup scoop). The batter should come to the top of the paper liner or pan. Sprinkle with the Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping, and lightly press the topping into the muffin batter.
  8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes clean. Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan, and serve immediately.

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43 thoughts on “Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping”

  2. You've done it again – made me hungry right after I've just eaten a full meal! What a scrumptuous piece of writing you writer/chef, you! ;)

  4. Mark loves peaches, am thinking this would be a lovely Father's Day breakfast addition….yep, going there with these for Father's Day. Thanks!

  7. These look absolutely fantastic! I've never had a peach muffin but I am definitely going to give these a shot when peaches are in season here!

  9. Hello Gorgeous! Why is strudel topping so darn seductive?!?!?! I've been walking past the mounds of ripening peaches at the market for weeks thinking "Well, I've really got to find some inspiration to play with those soon." This might be the muffin I've been waiting for!

    Did you use rum or vanilla? Just curious if the rum actually makes a difference, taste-wise.

  12. Wow these look amazing. Thanks for the inspiration – we're leaving on a long road trip soon & these will be wonderful for our breakfasts…mmm maybe lunch & dinner too! Thanks for the inspiration & the recipe.

  16. These sound really good but I struggle with fruit in my desserts unless it's in a "jam" form. I can't stomach soggy foods. I like my fruit firm and cold out of the fridge. But again these look and sounds good! Yummy, brown sugar walnut struel topping. ~ingrid

  25. Wow, did you use jumbo-sized muffin tins? I baked these the other day and got 24 muffins out of a single recipe instead of 12. Also, they didn't bake right! It was very sad. Yours are much prettier than mine were. :]

  26. I made these and took some to work with me, and left some for my daughter to take to work with her….and they were a very big hit in both places (and my daughter works in a restaurant ! )
    I used the rum and it was delicious, and I also used large muffin papers (but they fit in a regular size muffin tin). It made quite a few, but sadly none left over. So I am looking forward to making them again tormorrow for brunch.
    Next time I will also use a little more butter in the streusel mixture, mine was a little on the dry side.

  27. I made these muffin and for what ever reason they did not brown at all…they did everything but brown. They taste great…I would differently make them again if I know for sure they would brown.

    Jaggs

  28. I had some overripe peaches and found this recipe from a search for "peach muffins" and they turned out amazing!! My inlaws are here and they absolutely loved these muffins. I didn't have enough sour cream at home so I used plain yogurt to make up the difference and it turned out great.

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