Peach Muffins

Fluffy, moist, and fruity, peach muffins are the epitome of summer flavor—except these can be enjoyed any time of the year. With either canned peaches or fresh, you can make these peach muffins in hot and humid August or cold and chilly January and still feel a bit of the summer sunshine on your face.

Peaches give the classic muffin batter extra moisture and sweetness. The graham cracker streusel on top creates a nice crunch, and it has just the right amount of salt to balance out the sweetness and spices of the muffin.

Learn how to make peach muffins, then grab your peaches, and let's bake. If you have extras, you can share with friends, or pop them in the freezer for a busy day in the future.

Ingredients for Peach Muffins

The ingredient list for peach muffins is 11 items long, but most of them are basic baking ingredients that you probably have in your pantry right now. Add some fruit and a few fresh dairy items, and you'll be ready to make these peach muffins in minutes. Here's what you'll need:

• All-purpose flour: We like the texture this flour provides the muffins versus fluffier cake flour.
• Baking powder and baking soda: These ingredients help to give the muffins some rise while they bake so they stand tall and proud.
• Ground cinnamon: Just a hint of this warming spice elevates the flavor of the peaches.
• Table salt: A bit of salt balances the muffin's sweet flavors.
• Sour cream: Bakers know the magic that is sour cream in baked goods. It brings loads of moisture and creates an unbeatable texture.
• Granulated sugar: This helps sweeten the batter but doesn't overwhelm the peach flavor.
• Whole milk: For added moisture.
• Unsalted butter: You'll need a bit to add richness to the batter.
• Egg: Only one is needed.
• Peaches: The most important ingredient. Fresh is great of course, if you have it. But canned will also work as long as you drain them well.

The streusel recipe only calls for five ingredients, and many of them are repeats of the muffin batter so you won't need to add too many extra things to your grocery list. Here's what you'll need to make the streusel:

• Graham crackers: You just need two sheets.
• All-purpose flour: This gives body to the streusel when combined with the crushed graham crackers.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens up the topping just a bit.
• Melted butter: Many streusels use softened butter, but we speed up the process with melted butter.
• Salt: A hint of salt balances this crisp-crunchy topping's flavors.

How To Make Peach Muffins

The full recipe for peach muffins is below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

• Step 1. Make the streusel: Combine the graham crackers, flour, sugar, butter, and salt until just mixed.
• Step 2. Make the muffin batter: Combine the dry ingredients, then the wet. Finally, mix them together, and fold in the peaches.
• Step 3. Fill pan: Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared muffin pan, and top with streusel.
• Step 4. Bake: Bake the muffins until golden brown.
• Step 5. Cool: Cool the muffins, then serve, or store.

Our Tips for the Best Peach Muffins

The Southern Living Test Kitchen pros know muffins, and they shared these tips so your batch will be better:

• Mix carefully. The most important thing you can do to have great muffins is not overmix the batter or the streusel. If you overmix the streusel, it will turn into a gluey paste and not get the crisp-crunchy texture you want. If you overmix the muffin batter, the muffins will be dense and and won't rise well. So in both cases, mix just until combined, then stop.
• Dry the fruit. If you use canned or frozen peaches, be sure to dry the peaches (thaw the frozen ones first) so you remove as much moisture as possible.
  

Can I Use Fresh Peaches Instead of Canned?

We developed this peach muffins recipe to use either fresh or canned peaches, so you can use whatever you have. In the summer, you'll love the fresh, floral flavor of peaches.

But in winter, when peaches are hard to find and often shipped from overseas, go for canned peaches. Just be sure to drain them well before chopping.

How To Store Peach Muffins

Leftover peach muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you store them in the fridge, they'll be good a bit longer, up to 5 days.

If you want to have them a few weeks from now, pop the muffins into a ziplock bag, and freeze them up to 3 months. Take out a muffin when want to enjoy it, and warm it in the microwave for a few seconds to thaw it.

More Muffin Recipes

In the mood for muffins? Don't miss these great recipes:

• Bakeshop Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Muffins
• Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Zucchini Muffins
• Coffee Cake Muffins