Irresistible Peach Crumb Muffins: Your New Favorite Summer Breakfast

There are mornings when you wake up, and despite the sun shining, the spirit of Monday casts a long shadow. This particular morning, after a refreshing mini-vacation, my mind was still drifting somewhere along the serene shores of Stone Harbor, while my body begrudgingly started the week. Memories of lazy beach days, the rhythmic sound of waves, and sun-kissed adventures lingered, making the return to reality a bit of a challenge. Indeed, my mind felt like it was still lounging on the beach, far from the hustle and bustle.

My recent getaway to Stone Harbor was nothing short of wonderful. The weather was absolutely perfect, a true gift of late summer. I relished every moment, from browsing charming boutiques to embracing the water with a kayaking adventure and even trying paddle boarding for the very first time on the bay. Paddle boarding proved to be an unexpectedly fun and invigorating experience! Dining alfresco, with breathtaking views of the water, added to the magic of each evening. It was a perfect blend of relaxation and activity.

Even now, I find myself reminiscing about the culinary delights of the trip. The cream-filled doughnuts from Maryanne’s Pastry Shoppe were truly a champion’s breakfast, and the fantastic guacamole from the waterfront cantina at my hotel was exceptionally memorable. This delightful escape was precisely what I needed to recharge and put a beautiful cap on a wonderfully busy summer season. While my mind may still be on vacation, my kitchen is certainly back in business!

The Quest for the Perfect Peach Crumb Muffin

Before leaving for my trip, I embarked on a mission to perfect a batch of Peach Crumb Muffins to share with you. And I’m thrilled to say, this recipe delivers! These muffins are a delightful celebration of summer’s best fruit, bringing a burst of peachy flavor to your breakfast or brunch table. Featuring a tender, coffee cake-like crumb, generous sweet peach chunks, a luscious swirl of homemade peach preserves, and an irresistible buttery streusel topping, these muffins are a true crowd-pleaser.

Honestly, Peach Crumb Muffins and I have had a rather complicated relationship. If we were on social media, our status would definitely be “It’s Complicated.” While I adore the very concept of a muffin brimming with sweet, juicy peaches, the execution has often been a source of frustration. The core problem lies with fresh peaches themselves. The delicious, sweet juices that signal a perfectly ripe peach, while wonderful for eating, tend to wreak havoc on the delicate crumb of a muffin, turning it into a dense, soggy disaster. Every peach muffin I’ve attempted in the past, with a decent amount of fruit, transformed into a lead sinker shortly after cooling. It was consistently disappointing.

Many recipes try to counteract this by drastically reducing the amount of fruit, but in my experience, these muffins simply lacked that essential, vibrant peach flavor to truly earn the name “peach” muffins. A peach muffin, in my opinion, should boldly taste of peaches!

Last summer alone, I made no fewer than four batches of Peach Crumb Muffins, desperately hoping to find a recipe worthy of sharing. Each batch, however, emerged from the oven with the same disappointing sogginess. It was a truly sad summer for muffin baking in my home, and I was beginning to take it personally! The struggle to create a light, fluffy, and flavorful peach muffin felt like an insurmountable challenge.

The Secret to Perfectly Moist (Not Soggy!) Peach Muffins

By the time Summer 2015 rolled around, I had pretty much thrown in the towel on the entire concept of peach muffins – a rather defeatist attitude for a baker, I admit! However, a spark of inspiration ignited when I remembered a brilliant *Cooks Illustrated* recipe for Blueberry Muffins that I had made and loved in the past. Their innovative approach was a game-changer.

In that *Cooks Illustrated* recipe, a portion of the blueberries is cooked down into a rich, preserve-like texture and then swirled into the muffin batter before baking. This ingenious method intensifies the fruit flavor throughout the baked muffin without introducing any extra, unwelcome moisture that could lead to sogginess. It seemed like the perfect solution to my peach predicament!

With a few beautiful, ripe peaches still remaining from my recent farm visit (after making a refreshing batch of Peach Mint Lemonade), I wondered if this same principle could be applied to peaches. Could cooking down some of the peaches into a concentrate be the key to achieving those elusive fluffy, moist, and flavorful peach muffins? I decided to give it a try, and the results were absolutely fantastic. We instantly fell in love with them!

The muffins were perfectly moist and tender, with absolutely no hint of sogginess – not just on the first day, but even on the second day after gentle rewarming! This was truly unheard of in all my previous attempts. The peach flavor was wonderfully fresh and incredibly prominent, a result of both the diced peaches folded into the batter and the concentrated swirl of homemade preserves. While making the preserves adds a small extra step, it takes very little time and, in our opinion, is entirely worth the effort for the intense fruit flavor it contributes. It’s the secret weapon for these truly superior peach crumb muffins.

Tips for Baking the Best Peach Crumb Muffins

Even with this fantastic recipe, using the right kind of peaches is crucial for success. It’s important to select peaches that are ripe, but not overly ripe, especially for the chunks that will be folded into the batter uncooked. Look for peaches that are fragrant and yield slightly to gentle pressure, but still maintain a firm texture. They should not be mushy.

While those wonderfully juicy, drip-down-your-chin overripe peaches are incredibly delicious for eating fresh, they will unfortunately make these muffins just as soggy as any other, rendering the extra effort of making the preserves completely in vain. The firmness of the peaches in the batter provides structure and prevents excess moisture release during baking, ensuring your muffins are perfectly fluffy.

Serve these delectable Peach Crumb Muffins just slightly warm to experience their full flavor potential. The warmth enhances the aroma and melts the buttery streusel, creating a truly comforting and delightful experience. As we ease into the first week of September, these muffins offer a perfect way to savor the last sweet notes of summer mornings just a little bit longer. They are ideal for breakfast, a coffee break, or an afternoon treat, bringing a taste of sunshine to your day.

Peach Crumb Muffins Recipe

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (based on 1 vote)

Peach Crumb Muffins

by
Amanda Biddle

Peach Crumb Muffins with a tender, coffee cake-like crumb, sweet peach chunks, a swirl of homemade peach preserves, and a buttery streusel topping.

Inspired by Cooks Illustrated’s “Best Blueberry Muffins” May, 2009

Total Time:
1 hour

Servings:
12 large muffins, baked in a standard muffin pan

Ingredients

Preserves and Muffins

• 2 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon additional for preserves
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Streusel topping

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly-packed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Instructions

Make the peach preserves

1. Place 1 cup diced peaches and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring and mashing the peach chunks with a wooden spoon as they cook, until fruit is relatively smooth and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Make the streusel topping

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Cut butter into sugar mixture with a pastry blender, two knives, a fork, or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

Make the muffins

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a standard muffin pan (12 muffins).
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and eggs until thick, pale, and glossy. Whisk in cooled melted butter and oil until combined, followed by buttermilk and extracts. Gently fold wet ingredients and remaining 1 cup of diced peaches into the flour mixture just until combined. For a tender crumb, don’t over-mix; a few dry streaks of flour are okay.
5. Divide batter into the prepared pan, filling wells almost to the top for large, bakery-style muffins. Place 1 teaspoon of peach preserves into the middle of each well and gently swirl into the batter with a toothpick. Top each muffin with a few tablespoons of streusel topping.
6. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the muffins is clean, with just a few moist crumbs, 17-19 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then use two forks to gently lift muffins onto a wire rack until ready to serve.

Notes

Streusel Quantity: I personally love a generous amount of streusel topping on my Peach Crumb Muffins. If you prefer less, feel free to halve the streusel recipe. Any leftover streusel can be frozen in a zip-top bag for up to a month and used for another batch of muffins or sprinkled over other baked goods.

Bakery-Style Muffins: Since the muffin wells are filled almost to the top with batter (as per the original recipe’s intent), the muffins will “crown” beautifully during baking, creating that desirable bakery-style dome. Depending on your muffin pan’s design (I highly recommend this one, which I use almost exclusively), the tops might touch slightly. If this happens, simply use a knife to gently separate them when they come out of the oven. They will still be absolutely delicious!

Storage: These Peach Crumb Muffins are truly best enjoyed the day they are baked, when the streusel is crisp and the crumb is most tender. However, once completely cooled, they can be wrapped individually or collectively and stored at room temperature for up to three days. For optimal enjoyment, gently rewarm them before serving.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 145mg | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

About Our Recipes

Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.