Peach Muffins

Banana Cream Pie Murder

## Ingredients

**The Batter**

* 15-ounce ***(net weight)*** can of sliced peaches ***(I used Del Monte)***
* 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
* ¾ cup salted butter ***(1 and ½ sticks, 6 ounces)***
* 1 cup brown sugar ***(either light brown or dark brown—it really doesn't matter—pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon almond extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* ½ cup whole milk
* ½ cup peach jam ***(I used Smucker's)***

**Crumb Topping**

* ½ cup brown sugar
* ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* ½ teaspoon cinnamon
* ¼ cup cold salted butter ***(½ stick)*** cut into 8 pieces

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 375°F, rack in the middle position.

**The Batter**

* Grease the bottoms only of a 12-cup muffin pan ***(or line the cups with double cupcake papers)***
* Drain your peaches in a strainer. ***(You can save the juice to drink later if you wish.)***
* Pat the peach slices dry with a paper towel and put them in the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade in place.
* Cut up the peaches by processing in an on-and-off motion. Continue processing until the peaches are in small pieces.
* Measure out 1 cup of the diced pieces and put them in a bowl on the counter. Sprinkle them with the Tablespoon of flour and stir until the peaches and the flour are thoroughly combined.
* Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it on HIGH for 60 seconds and then stir it. If it's melted, take it out and put it in a mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.

**Hannah's 1st Note: You can mix up these muffins by hand or with an electric mixer.**

* Place the brown sugar in the mixing bowl and mix until it's thoroughly combined with the melted butter.
* Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
* Mix in the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and almond extract. Continue mixing until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
* Add half of the flour to your bowl ***(1 cup)*** and mix it in with half of the milk ***(¼ cup)***. Mix thoroughly.
* Add the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. Mix that in thoroughly.
* Add the half cup of peach jam to your bowl and mix it in thoroughly.
* Shut off the mixer ***(if you used one)*** and remove the bowl. You will be finishing the rest of the muffin batter by hand.
* Remember that bowl of diced peaches on your counter?It's now time to fold them into your batter.
* Fold in the peaches and then give your batter a final stir.
* Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full of muffin batter.
* If you have peach muffin batter left over, grease the bottom of a small tea-bread loaf pan and fill it with your remaining batter.

**Crumb Topping**

* Layer the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in the bowl of your food processor.
* Place the pieces of chilled butter on top. Process ***with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the mixture resembles coarse gravel.***
* Fill the remaining space in the muffin cups with the crumb topping.
* Bake the muffins in a 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. ***(If you made tea bread, it should bake about 10 minutes longer than the muffins.)***
* When your muffins are baked, set the muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. ***(The muffins need to cool in the pan for easy removal.)*** Then just tip them out of the cups and enjoy.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: Lisa and I like to use cupcake papers when we bake muffins. It makes them easier for our customers to handle, and they look prettier on display.**

**Hannah's 3rd Note: These muffins are wonderful when they're slightly warm, but the peach flavor will intensify if you store them in a covered container overnight.**

Yield: 12 pretty, tasty muffins.