Peach Perfection

Last year my boyfriend got a job at an agricultural research centre in the Okanagan where they study, among other things, cherries, peaches, grapes, and plums.

Turns out, the excess fruit they didn't need for experiments could be taken home - for free! Needless to say we were inundated with crates of fruit, not that I complained! After eating all we could of the fresh stuff we needed to do something with the leftovers - we froze the berries for winter smoothies, made and froze countless cherry pies, and did our own experiments with some new recipes online.

I found this recipe for Peach Muffins and after one bite I knew it was a keeper. The big chunks of peaches make the muffins really moist and tasty and the strudel style topping adds some great crunch!

This past week I made them again but with a bit of a twist... because I was running out to the lake and had to pick peaches up on the way I combined the dry ingredients in a glass bowl with rubber lid and the topping in another small container. Then, I packed them up and took them with me to make later. Because the wet ingredients are common I was able to find them around the cabin to whip up a batch the next day after buying some peaches.

Peach Pecan Muffins via About.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter melted
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 medium peaches peeled, diced (about 1 cup diced)

Topping
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar packed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. Combine topping ingredients until mixture is crumbly; set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together butter, milk, and egg in a separate bowl. Stir milk/egg mixture into the flour mixture and blend just until moistened. 

Fold in diced peaches. Spoon into muffin cups; sprinkle evenly with topping mixture.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan.

Enjoy!
Calli