Cornmeal Muffins with Peaches

Oh, people, let me tell you about these irresistible muffins, one of my very favorite summer treats. Thanks to the cornmeal, they're a bit rustic. Thanks to juicy summer peaches, they're bursting with small bites of fruity sweetness. Thanks to cinnamon and nutmeg, the kitchen will smell so good while the muffins bake. It's time to turn on the oven and get to baking, right?!

No Fuss Homemade Muffins, Made from Scratch. Not Too Sweet for Breakfast, Sweet Enough for an Afternoon Snack. Beautiful Color! Pretty on the Plate! Mere Minutes to the Table. One (Bowl) & Done (In One Hour), No Mixer Required. Not Just for Breakfast, Extra Welcome When "Supper's a Little Skimpy". Fun Picnic Food. Budget Friendly. Weekday Easy, Weekend Special. Potluck & Party Friendly. Vegetarian. So Good!!

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Strange Fruit: The Music of a Tragic Period In Our Country's History.

Something that until now, only iTunes knows about me: for a good 15 years, I've built a personal playlist of the many haunting renditions of Billie Holiday's iconic song, "Strange Fruit."

An odd thing to bring up with a recipe? Perhaps. Well, okay, YES. But there I was last week comfortably settled into my "Friday office" at Starbucks, iced coffee in hand and intent on putting pencil to pixel for this summer muffin recipe, moving it from my scribbles to your breakfast table.

But then? Google's homepage stopped me in my tracks. I didn't know about the Silent Parade, did you? It happened 100 years ago, African Americans marching in silence to protest lynching in America. And down that rabbit hole of painful history I went. For the record, it's a story worth investing time and thought and action.

Because what's #OldIsNew. In this year of 2017, my husband and I live just sixteen miles from Ferguson, yes, that Ferguson.

But in many ways, Ferguson is as much a world away as the proverbial Timbuktu. But in others, Ferguson and our history of American lynching and American policing affects us all, every day, across the entire country.

Strange Fruit is my private way to stay focused, aware and engaged in social justice.

Curious? More About the Music.

Strange Fruit was written by a Jewish musician, his story is fascinating, The Strange Story of the Man Behind Strange Fruit on NPR. NPR has also collected its own song favorites in Evolution of a Song: Strange Fruit. Are you on Spotify? I'm a definite newbie there but just managed to create my first public playlist, Strange Fruit by AK, you can find it via my username, alannakellogg. I also recommend The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson which explores the Great Migration, the wholesale movement by African Americans from the south to the north during the first half of the 20th century. It's a compelling read.

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Peaches. No Strange Fruit for Summer.

But for summer, peaches are no strange fruit. Instead we look forward to and welcome their company! Missouri and Illinois local peaches are wonderful this year but the word is that peaches are in short supply across the country, thanks to a long stretch of winter weather followed by a spring freeze in southern peach country.

If you have plenty of peaches in your area? Savor each one!

I've made these muffins several times in the last couple of years. They're so moist and fruity, definitely a recipe to put on repeat during peach season. You just have to remember to stir in the chopped peaches, oops, once I actually forgot!

You'll Love My Cornmeal Muffins with Peaches If ...

• you work fresh summer fruit into most everything that hits your table
• you don't wanna drag out a mixer just to make muffins
• you get that "morning muffins" are definitely not cupcakes, less sweet for starters, more sturdy for, um, enders
• you rely on simple pantry ingredients for everyday baking
• you've got just one last lonely ripe peach that needs using up

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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CORNMEAL MUFFINS with PEACHES

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 12 regular-size muffins

WET INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 112g) salted butter, melted
• 1 cup (222g) buttermilk, well-shaken
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon (yes, tablespoon!) vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

DRY INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour fluffed to aerate before measuring or 125g
• 1 cup (170g) finely ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt (use more with unsalted butter)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

COMBINE
• 1 large ripe peach, cut into 12 small wedges first (for the muffin tops), then chopped into small pieces (for the muffin batter)

PREP Heat oven to 400F/200C. Spray a muffin pan well with baking spray.

WET INGREDIENTS In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter and buttermilk (this cools down the butter so not to cook the egg), then whisk in the egg, vanilla and almond extract.

DRY INGREDIENTS In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, once the cinnamon and nutmeg are evenly distributed (eyeball this!), it's enough.

COMBINE WET & DRY + CHOPPED PEACHES With a spatula, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, it's fine for a few streaks of flour to remain visible. Gently stir in the chopped peaches.

GARNISH With a large cookie scoop or two spoons (one to scoop, the other to scrape), evenly distribute the muffin batter in the muffin cups. Top each muffin with a wedge of fresh peach.

BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes, check them at 15 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack for 5 minutes, then gently remove the muffins and continue to let cool. Serve warm or cool.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS Best the same day but still good on Day Two or Three. Do refrigerate the muffins to keep more than a day but warm to room temperature before serving.

VARIATIONS Cornmeal Muffins with Apple, anyone? Or mango? Or hmmm, fresh pineapple? These muffins are very adaptable, I think!

ALANNA's TIPS For muffins, I prefer to use a finely ground cornmeal. It can be stone-ground but must still be finely ground, something I just don't see. I suppose you could put a medium-grind or another rougher grind into a food processor but I'm happy to keep a tub of the more processed but useful "yellow cornmeal" from the grocery store. Medium grind "works" but makes for muffins with a grittier texture. A little short on cornmeal? No problem. I once made these with only 75% of the cornmeal. A full peach slice is too big for regular-size muffins, so cut the wedges to match the width of the muffins. So pretty, those wedges!

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Muffin (assumes 12): 184 Calories; 8g Tot Fat; 5g Sat Fat; 39mg Cholesterol; 281mg Sodium; 30g Carb; 1g Fiber; 12g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 8 & Freestyle 7 & myWW green 8 & blue 7 & purple 7 future WW points CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = half muffin (3g protein).

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Seasonal Eating: Oh, August! The Height of Summer Across the Years

KITCHEN PARADE
Light Tomato Basil Quiche Cottage Cheese Pancakes (<< protein-packed!) BLT Pasta Salad (<< this week's favorite savory recipe) Shrimp Salad Recipes Easy Fruit Sorbet Grilled Steak with Tomato-Avocado Salad in a Warm Poblano-Bacon Vinaigrette Tomatoes & Fresh Mozzarella for a Crowd Cold & Creamy Cantaloupe Soup Summer Couscous with Mango & Tomato Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos (<< too hot to cook?) Salmon with Pesto Zucchini Noodles & Warm Tomatoes Cornmeal Muffins with Peaches Greek Chicken Dagwood Sandwiches Shrimp Veracruz

~ more Recent Recipes ~

A VEGGIE VENTURE
Pasta with Zucchini Noodles, Ricotta & Basil Pesto Grape Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (< so many tomato recipes for August!) Lentil Salad with Tomatoes, Dill & Basil Broccoli, Bacon & Raisin Salad with Cheddar Herbed Grape Tomatoes King Hill Farms Simple & Sublime Beets (< always, always, for the first roasted beet) Amaranth Greens More Matters: The New Fruits & Veggies Campaign Insalata Caprese Fresh Tomato Sauce Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato Tomato & Onion Salad Grilled Beets, Greens & Beans Stuffed Peppers Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Browned Butter Stuffed Zucchini Boats (this week's reader favorite!) Skillet Stewed Tomatoes & Okra Avocado Recipes – Alphabet of Vegetables Seasonal Soups & Salads – August

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If you like Kitchen Parade's recipes, you'll love A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables with more from-scratch recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, home to the famous Alphabet of Vegetables and vegetables in every course, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

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Gorging on Summer Peaches!

more
~ peaches & nectarines ~

• THE RECIPE Simple Sliced Peaches Just four ingredients, turns tables to silent. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Naked Peach Cobbler Peaches so good, who needs a topping? (PIN This)

• THE MASTER RECIPE Rustic Fruit Ice Cream An easy, no-cook rich, creamy and fruity ice cream, here peach but also blueberry, strawberry and banana.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches Thick, caramel-y peach syrup. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE First-Prize Peach Pie The secret technique is no blanching and no peeling!
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Peach Pie A luscious summer pie, fresh peaches in light orange sauce, topped with whipped cream.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ buttermilk recipes ~
~ cornmeal recipes ~
~ peach recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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