Just Peachy...

There are many things about living in California that I am not a fan of, but the fact that almost every fruit is grown right here, or super close… that I like. So now that we are living in the land of beautifully cheap, fresh fruit… I have discovered that I LOVE peaches! I walked into Trader Joe’s (the best grocery store ever) sometime in May and saw this…

I immediately threw one of these crates in my cart (or placed gently), checked out and smiled all the way home, so proud of my $4 purchase that I was just beside myself! It was only after eating peaches everyday for both breakfast and lunch and then subsequently buying another one of these babies, that I decided I might need a faster way of using them up. Oops. Sooo… what place do you think of when you see peaches?? Georgia! And who lives in Georgia?? Why Miss Paula Deen of course! I quickly grabbed her sons’ cookbook; “Ya’ll Come Eat” off the shelf and flipped to the mouth watering Peaches & Cream Muffin recipe. Enough said… I ran to get out the butter. These muffins were dense, fruity, buttery bites of goodness, and although they do have fresh peaches in them… there’s nothing healthy about eating one...and that’s the way I like it.

Peaches & Cream Muffins                The Deen Brothers

2 cups flour
2 sticks of butter (melted)
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 largish peaches (finely chopped) (or a 15oz can drained)
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grab the cooking spray and coat your muffin pan. It’s not really necessary if you have a non stick pan… there’s enough butter in this recipe that I’m pretty sure they’d never stick. Ever.

Grab a large bowl and mix the butter, sour cream, sugar, vanilla & flour. Gently fold in your peaches.

Fill your muffin tin & bake for 35 min or until golden brown on the edges and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let your muffins cool for about 10 minutes in the tin, and then completely on a wire rack… unless you can’t wait and just HAVE to grab a warm muffin, a good cup of coffee and head for the porch. I would. Enjoy ya’ll!

So now that we’re all settled into our new condo… I’ve done it again. There were four beautiful peaches just sitting on the counter, day after day until I realized that I couldn’t possibly eat them before they rotted (Riiiight.) So I grabbed my latest issue of …

Yes, it’s official… I’m a typical housewife who now reads Martha Stewart Living. But in my defense, I received an entire year free after buying my Singer, so there.

Back to the point at hand… there was a lovely recipe for a nectarine cupcake (very easily adaptable to peaches) with a whipped topping that was calling my name. This time, the same flavors were translated into a light fluffy, cupcake with a refreshing whipped cream topping… YUM! I’m ashamed to admit that these 12 little cupcakes were gone in a mere 2 days. It was not a proud moment, but they were DELICIOUS! Just TRY to have restraint or will power when these little delights are lying around. I dare you.

Peach Cupcakes with Whipped Topping      by Martha Stewart

Cupcakes:
1 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp butter
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 medium sized Peaches (pitted, peeled & diced)

Topping:
1 cup cold heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
3 tbsp sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then line your muffin tin with cupcake papers.

Sift together your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) in a small bowl. Grab your mixer and beat the butter and sugar for a couple minutes until it’s fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time while the mixer is running. Add the milk & dry ingredients in alternating batches until it’s nice and smooth.

Fill the cupcake papers with about half the batter. Then add a heaping tablespoon of the peaches to each cup, and then top with the rest of the batter.

Bake until the edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Cool them completely in the muffin tin. Your house will smell amazing. Neighbors will come snooping. Husbands will walk into the house with smiles on their face.

When you’re ready to grab a couple and enjoy perfectly sweet deliciousness, whip up the topping: Simply put the cream, sour cream & sugar in your mixer and beat until peaks form. Seriously it’s the easiest form of “frosting” ever and it’s light, and refreshing complement to the cupcakes!

Sigh. You’re welcome!









P.S. I'm linking up to this lil' party...