Peach Season!
Buttermilk Peach Muffins with Crumble Topping
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August, to me, means three things: tomatoes, corn, and peaches! I’ve written some articles and posted recipes about peaches in the past (peach pie, peach galette, and bread pudding with peaches) so I’m keeping things simple and also drawing on those past recipes for the Buttermilk Peach Muffins with Crumble Topping I made this week.
Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s in Toronto, I seem to remember a bakery franchise called Treats. It’s been tough to find any reference to them, aside from this one post on Instagram from @oldcanadaseries.
They had the best Coffee Cake muffins with that perfect crumble topping. Those were my favourites. I much preferred Treats to Marvellous Mmmuffins (who are currently having a nostalgic moment) which took over the smell of the entire mall (not in a good way.) I found all their muffins kind of tasted the same (except the cornmeal muffins—they were great!)
Food is more than just sustenance, it’s also nostalgia. So, for this recipe, I’m drawing on some of my past favourite peach recipes and memories to include buttermilk, cloves, and a crumble topping.
Buttermilk Peach Muffins with Crumble Topping
I’m going to give you the ingredients and measurements, then I’ll talk about the myriad substitutions you can make to suit your dietary needs and preferences. Muffins are supposed to be quick, easy, and unfussy, so I don’t want to overcomplicate things. I’ve given both metric weights and imperial volumes here, so go with whichever system you prefer.
Ingredients
Muffin batter
2 1/2 cups (345g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1/4 cup, packed (50g) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (6g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (4g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (4g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1g) ground cloves
2 large peaches (about 2 cups or 300g, peeled and chopped)
1 cup (225mL or 260g) Buttermilk
1/2 cup (100g) Oil
2 Eggs, beaten
Generous splash of Vanilla extract
Crumble topping
2 tablespoons (42g) Butter, melted
1/2 cup (50g) Dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons (30g) White sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2g) Salt
Substitutions
You can use any fruit you like. This batter was originally from a blueberry muffin recipe, but you can use any fruit (or combination of fruit) you have on hand. Depending on what you’re using, you might have to adjust the amount of fruit (e.g., the recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of blueberries, but I used 2 cups of chopped peaches.) Put in as much or as little as you like.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use yogurt, sour cream, or make your own by adding a tablespoon of vinegar (I suggest apple cider vinegar if you have it) or lemon juice to a cup of dairy (or non-dairy) milk.
Gluten-free flour substitutes will work, as will most sugar substitutes. If you use a liquid sugar like maple syrup, it might throw off the consistency a bit, so be mindful of that. And you can certainly substitute an egg replacement if you choose.
The cloves seem like an odd spice to use with a summer fruit, but that’s just a food memory I have as my mum would always put cloves in when she canned peaches, so for me, those flavours go together. You could also use cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg and it would be just as tasty.
I used canola oil, but you can use melted butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil if you prefer.
For the crumble topping, you can probably use a brown sugar substitute, vegan butter, coconut oil, and gluten free flour, though I haven’t tested any of those alternatives.
Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F / 205°C.
Line your muffin tins with extra large paper muffin liners. If you want “bakery-sized” muffins, you need extra large muffin liners.
In one large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.)
In another bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the wet ingredients (buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla.)
Blanch and peel your peaches. There are instructions in the peach pie recipe if you’re not sure how to do this. It works for any thin-skinned fruit like tomatoes, nectarines, etc.
Cut the peaches into small chunks and squeeze some lemon juice over top to prevent them from browning.
Add the wet ingredients and the peaches to the dry ingredients and blend with a spatula (don’t over-mix it, just like pancake batter.)
I used a blue handle, #16 cookie scoop, which is 2 3/4 ounces in volume, which is just shy of 1/4 cup. But you don’t have to be fussy, just fill the muffin liners almost to the brim. Mine filled 18 muffin tins.
For the crumble topping, melt the butter, then add the sugars and mix well. Add the flour and salt and mix into a moist crumble.
Divide the crumble topping across all the muffins, with clumps of varying sizes.
Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Let the muffins cool a bit before eating, but they’re so delicious when still warm. Once fully cooled, you can store them at room temperature in an air-tight container for a few days, or you can freeze them in a Ziploc bag for several months. Just let them thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
No wine pairings for these (though if you’re making something else with peaches, Riesling goes really well with peach desserts.) Given the cloves in the muffins, serving it with either hot or iced Chai would be perfect, too!