SMS: Fresh Peach Muffins

I had the pleasure of hosting this week's Sweet Melissa Sundays. I chose Fresh Peach Muffins found on pages 6 and 7 of Melissa Murphy's book. I chose this recipe not only because I'm a Georgia peach myself, born and raised in the state, but, to take it one step closer, I'm from Peach County. Yes, there is a county in Georgia by the name of Peach County where peaches are grown. Because of this fact, I'm particular about my peaches. I will not eat a California peach; I will not eat a South Carolina peach. I've seen stores have the sign "Southern Peaches" up, and I'll walk by those as well because I'm just not quite sure where they are from. You can call me loyal to my community or you can call me a peach snob; I won't change my mind about peaches. This is why I chose to freeze a box of peaches my aunt brought to me, but I digress.

Melissa Murphy's Sweet Muffin recipe was the foundation of the Fresh Peach Muffins. I decided to double the recipe as I was excited about them. As I started mixing the ingredients together, I had to double check the amount of flour. It sure did seem like a lot! Because of this, the muffins weren't as light as I would have liked for them to be. They also didn't have enough peaches for me. I did like that they were not overly sweet though. I added pecan halves, another Georgia crop, to the tops of the half the muffins.

Fresh Peach Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients for muffins:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

6 Tbsp whole milk, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp freshly grated orange zest

1 cup peaches, cut into 1/4-to 1/2-inch pieces

1 Tbsp cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

Ingredients for Cinnamon Sugar:

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Before You Start:

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with muffin papers (or butter and flour the cups or spray with nonstick vegetable cooking spray).

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Set both aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth-no lumps. Whisk in the heavy cream and milk until combined.

3. Add the zest to the flour mixture and with your hands, gently rub the mixture together, releasing the oils and breaking up the bits. Add the peaches and gently toss with your fingers to combine. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Pour the butter mixture in the center of the well and, using a rubber spatula, gently pull the flour mixture into the center of the well until just combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup until full and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lightly golden and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack.

I would bake these again and add more peaches to the batter. Check out the other members of Sweet Melissa Sundays and their peach muffins.