Brown Sugar Peach Muffins
Summer is fast approaching and that means fresh local fruit and simple baking that gets me out of the hot kitchen fast. Which reminded me, I had some peaches left over from the end of last summer still in the freezer. I know, you shouldn’t use frozen fruit that is 6 months old. But, whatever, I took a chance and they were just fine!
Muffins are my favorite way to bake something quickly using whatever I’ve got on hand. While I love those softball sized sunny-hued white flour and sugar numbers, I have a definite preference for the wholesome, healthy variety, especially for showcasing fresh fruit. These babies are made with spelt flour, providing a rustic, get-it-all-over-your-shirt crumb and a great wheaty flavor. And since we all hate overmixed, rubbery muffins, spelt flour is a great choice. It has such a low gluten content that the dangers of overmixing are diminished, making it perfect for the trepidatious baker. I also use applesauce for moisture, a lower fat content, and to keep the sugar to a minimum.
Got my mind on my muffins and my muffins on my mind
Does anyone else cool their muffins this way? Once they’re cool enough to handle, I gently give them a twist and flip them sideways to cool the rest of the way. I love that whiff of spice you get when you first lift the muffin up.
Brown Sugar Peach Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Muffin perfection with a hint of spice, lots of juicy peaches and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. This recipe is plenty versatile, I can see using strawberries or mango and switching the spices up to suit your fruit.
2 1/2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
1 teapoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped peaches (leave skins on or not, whichever you prefer)
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a muffin tin.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Make a well in the center and add the applesauce, almond milk, vinegar, canola oil and vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until mostly combined. Add the peaches and combine until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
Scoop batter into muffin tins, they will hold their shape a little bit if you use an ice cream scoop. The batter should almost fill the entire tin. Sprinkle one or two teaspoons of brown sugar on top of each. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, or just flip them up in the tin to cool, as shown above.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Sweet! Nice lift muffin cooling technique.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Brilliant, as always. Peach muffins are my very favorite.
I like that cooling trick, too….I always use a boring old rack.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Those look absolutely yummy! Your sideways flip cooling technique makes for a pretty picture.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
i have to make some..
!
April 30th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
love the Gin & Juice reference.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
i totally cool that way. it’s the cool way to cool.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Thees look amazing!!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
YAY! Just got home from work, craving something baked & I have peaches! perfect, thanks!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
yum! i think VeganYumYum has a brown sugar peach muffin recipe too! (maybe even with spelt?)
April 30th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Fantastic! These would be great at the bake sale! WooHoo!
April 30th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Whoa, Nora, that’s weird! But I guess it’s a pretty common and yummy combo!
May 1st, 2009 at 12:08 am
These look mighty tasty, and I second Afsoon’s comment.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:37 am
wow this looks really good.
i can’t wait to try it (:
May 1st, 2009 at 1:59 am
…”muffins on my mind!” LOL I’m gonna get some spelt flour now. Peace.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:48 am
Peaches haven’t hit our markets yet, but I am READY! I just hope these don’t suck as much as your other recipes, you know?
May 1st, 2009 at 9:58 am
yum! i have some frozen peaches in that i’ve been waiting to use up. i wasn’t sure whether you could bake with them. thanks for the recipe!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:55 am
Just made some of the lemon cornbread waffles from your “Vegan with a Vengeance” book–delish! Wish I’d come to your blog sooner, because I see that there’s a dinner in Portland, OR tonight, but I have to work….rats!
May 1st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I can’t wait unitl peach season!
May 1st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I use that cooling method as well. And those look mighty tasty!
May 1st, 2009 at 6:24 pm
he who spelt it delt it
May 1st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Yeah, it sounds like an amazing combo!
Isa, would you be offended if I did a Brown Sugar Peach Spelt Muffin Showdown between the two? I’ll only blog the results if you win!
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
We made these today. We only had canned peaches but to make up for that (not reallly) we used peach applesauce. Anyway, they’re delicious.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
What a great idea for cooling!
I used it today when I made a big batch of my favorite Best Pumpkin Muffins from VWAV.
May 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
That’s more than just a gin and juice reference, its a Miss Muffy and the Muff Mob reference. Lubin’ da hole wit’ ’sco!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg2LcalMPKE
Thanks Isa!
I want muffins so much now.
May 3rd, 2009 at 2:47 pm
http://www.magicbutter.com/mm_video1.html Here is Lubin Da Hole
May 4th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I don’t have a cooling rack, so I cool my muffins that way too. I thought I was the only one!
June 17th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
These look great, I can’t wait to make ASAP! Are fresh peaches better than frozen? If using frozen, should they defrost first so not to taste watery?
June 30th, 2009 at 10:35 am
[…] up to muffins and […]
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 am
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August 23rd, 2009 at 5:24 am
Viagra
Summer is fast approaching and that means fresh local fruit and simple baking that gets me out of th […]
September 29th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I found some really good peaches at the marked this week - I think I have to make these!
January 25th, 2010 at 4:03 am
Thanks for the information, I totally agree, going to link to your post from my blog!