It’s been just over a year since I posted my last recipe featuring peaches - the peach and blackberry pie bars and if you haven’t made these yet, do so, especially if you find baking pies stressful - so I figured it was about time to give the popular stone fruit some spotlight. After glancing over my blog and seeing what I already had available in the stone fruit department (the pies bars and a perfect peach and nectarine crisp), I thought I’d make something that would be great for breakfast or brunch. With that, I settled on making peach and raspberry (and pistachio!) muffins and they came out amazing.
This is my 4th consecutive post highlighting summer fruit and I feel like I have Maine and weirdly, the pandemic, to thank for that. Since moving here, I’ve found myself going to the local farmers market just about every week whereas back at home I went to the one in Laguna Beach like, twice a year. I think this is because not only do I go on walks right by the farmers market on Wednesdays, but also because I find myself wanting to support the small, local farms that are definitely taking a hit financially due to the pandemic. Everything that I’ve bought from the farmers market so far has been worth every dollar, from the wild blueberries to the fresh corn to the maple syrup, and I know it’s made my recipes taste even better. Additionally, being able to meet the people in charge of making such great produce/products makes my day and makes me feel like I’m more a part of the community even though it’s so easy to feel alone at this time.
For today’s muffin recipe, I turned to an old standby of mine that I also used for my blueberry lemon muffin post. It’s quite possibly the simplest recipe for a multitude of reasons: 1) The whole thing comes together in about 40 minutes, including the time it takes to peel the peaches and bake the muffins, 2) Besides the small bowl for the fruit and flour, you’ll only need one large bowl to mix the batter together, so clean-up time is a piece of cake and 3) No ingredients need to be brought to room temperature so you can essentially wake up early one morning and immediately get started on breakfast. As for the taste of the muffins itself, each one is filled to the brim with fruit so much so that I guarantee every bite will have a piece of peach and/or raspberry, which I kind of think is a big deal since I’ve had my fair share of muffins with about two blueberries hidden inside. Because the peaches and raspberries are the stars of the recipe, I definitely recommend springing for local or organic fruit, but like I always say, do whatever feels right for you (and your wallet).
Unlike my previous muffin recipes (apple crumb, blueberry lemon and sweet potato chocolate chip ) this was the first time I added nuts, in this case pistachios, to the recipe. It’s no secret that my nut of choice when it comes to baking is pistachios, but if you want to use pecans or walnuts, those would definitely work in this recipe as well. Or, if you’re not a muffin with nuts person, feel free to leave the nuts out completely.
One last note: the easiest way to peel peaches is to submerge them in boiling water (in a Dutch oven or soup pot) for about 30 seconds and then immediately transfer them to ice cold water. After this, you should be able to peel off the skin using your fingers (the more ripe the peach, the easier it’ll come off).
Peach and Raspberry Muffins
Yields 12 standard muffins
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt (plain or Greek)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup peeled and chopped fresh ripe peaches
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped
Turbinado sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 12-cavity muffin tin with cooking spray or butter, or line with cupcake wrappers.
In a small bowl, gently combine the peaches and raspberries with the 1 1/2 tbsp. of flour. This is to prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom of each muffin. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and melted butter together until incorporated. Add the sour cream/yogurt and egg, and whisk again. Stir in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Using a spatula, carefully fold in the flour, the peaches and raspberries (mixed with the 1 1/2 tbsp. of flour) and pistachios until you can no longer see any dry ingredients. If you want, you can add half of the pistachios to the muffin base and sprinkle on the other half on the top of each muffin. Up to you!
Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cavity 3/4 full with batter. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin top (measure with your heart).
Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, and then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for another 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The blast of initial heat helps the muffins get their height.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before taking them out. Muffins are best eaten on the day they are baked, but can be enjoyed for 1-2 days after if covered and left at room temperature.