I have strong opinions about muffins. Maybe a little controversial too. When baked correctly, muffins should be soft, fluffy and tender. I get a little sad and disappointed when I buy a big, domed bakery muffin and the inside is rubbery. Many of the pretty muffins I see on social media are painfully rubbery too, as the creators break open a muffin in a dramatic moment of triumph. The muffin recipe I’m sharing here is tender and delicious if baked correctly.
One of the most important ways to achieve tender muffins is by not over mixing your batter once the flour is added. Muffins are technically cake, not bread, so we don’t want gluten formation. Another way to get tender muffins is to use an acidic ingredient such as sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk. Lastly, and very importantly, don’t over bake or under bake your muffins. Baking times in recipes are a guide and not necessarily exact because everyone’s ovens and baking pans are different. Keep an eye on your muffins and test them for doneness with a cake tester or a toothpick. My grandma used to say that when you start to smell them, they’re probably done or close to being done.
Soggy muffins also make me run the other way. Muffins loaded with too much fruit or fruit that hasn’t been macerated can make your muffins soggy or dense. In this recipe, I macerated the peaches to draw out some of the moisture, so it helps to avoid creating soggy spots in your muffins. The waiting time goes by fast as you prep the rest of your ingredients.
| Servings |
muffins
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- 8 ounces (227g) chopped, ripe but firm peaches (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (2 1/4 oz or 64g) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 1/4 cups (10 1/8 oz or 287g) all purpose flour, sifted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for the chips
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
- 3/4 cup (6 oz or 170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/8 cups (8 oz or 227g) sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup (8 oz or 237ml) sour cream, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (4 1/2 oz or 128g) white chocolate chips
- 1 or 2 squares white chocolate, broken into pieces optional
- In a medium bowl, toss the peaches with lemon juice. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Let stand 30 minutes.
- Drain the peaches well and toss with flour. Reserve 1/4 cup of peaches for the muffin tops.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- With a pastry blender, or with your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like wet sand. Press together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a 12-serving muffin pan with tulip muffin liners.* (Tulip muffin liners are preferable because they hold more batter, but you can also use standard muffin liners.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and extracts in 3 separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next.
- Mix in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula, in two additions, followed by half of the sour cream after each addition. Mix just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Toss the white chocolate chips with flour, then fold them into the batter. Gently fold in the drained peaches.
- Transfer batter to the prepared muffin pan, equally dividing the batter among the muffin cups. (If you're using standard muffin liners, fill them 2/3 full.) Top with the reserved peaches and the crumb topping. Optional: Top each muffin with a piece of white chocolate.
- Bake muffins for 5 minutes. Turn down the oven heat to 350ºF (180ºC). Continue baking until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers of the muffins comes out clean, about 15-20 more minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and continue cooling on a cooling rack.
*To find tulip muffin liners, click here.