Makes 12 muffins. My grandfather, known affectionately as Daddy Bob, loved to tell a tale about some prized peaches. He also loved a good prank. His father-in-law, O.J., had a peach tree in his yard, and everyone knew not to pick his peaches! One Sunday after church Daddy Bob stopped by a fruit stand and hand-selected the exact number of peaches on O.J.’s tree and parceled them out to his daughters, instructing them to run in and exclaim to their papa O.J., “Look what we have!” Daddy Bob laughed as he shared, “You should have seen the horrified look on O.J.’s face!” He thought his precious little granddaughters had picked all his prized peaches. Needless to say, as soon as the tree was surveyed, the cat was out of the bag. Fresh peaches are still a family favorite, and whenever I serve my peach crumb muffins, our memories are stirred, and we all have a laugh.
Muffins
4 ½ tablespoons butter
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup pure cane sugar
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
¼ cup whole milk
1 large egg
3 ½ tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup diced fresh peaches (or frozen and thawed)
Crumb Topping
3 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons chopped pecans
To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and let cool slightly.
In another bowl stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Add the sugar, buttermilk, milk, egg, honey, and vanilla to the slightly cooled butter and whisk until combined.
Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the flour mixture into the milk mixture. Do not overmix.
Place the peaches in the bowl with the remaining flour mixture and toss to coat. Fold the peaches and flour mixture into the batter. Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners.
To prepare the crumb topping, mix the butter into the flour with a fork until incorporated. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir until combined. Scatter the topping evenly over the muffin batter.
Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 12 muffins.
My grandfather, Daddy Bob, and grandmother, Nanny Ida. This was the garden they planted year after year.