Peach Muffins With Brown Butter Glaze: Fresh, Frozen or Canned Peaches

These peach muffins use a standard muffin batter, chopped peaches and a glaze made from browned butter. Fresh, frozen and canned peaches all work if you prep them correctly: pat them dry, cut them into small pieces and toss them in a spoonful of flour. That, plus a thick batter, keeps the fruit spread through the muffins instead of sinking to the bottom. The recipe makes 12 regular muffins.

Ingredients

Muffins

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon (8 g) for tossing the peaches
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk or plain yogurt thinned with a little milk
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil or melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (about 225 g) diced peaches, patted dry (see below)

Brown butter glaze

• 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease it well.
2. Prepare the peaches (see the next section). Toss the diced fruit with the 1 tablespoon of flour.
3. Whisk the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. In a second bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla until smooth.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick and a little lumpy. Overmixing makes muffins tough.
6. Gently fold in the peaches.
7. Divide the batter among the cups, filling them nearly to the top.
8. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
9. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack. Cool at least 15 minutes before glazing.
10. For the glaze, melt the butter in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl it as it foams. After a few minutes it turns golden brown and smells nutty, with brown flecks at the bottom. Pour it into a bowl immediately so it stops cooking.
11. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add more milk a few drops at a time until the glaze is thick but pourable. Spoon it over the cooled muffins.

Fresh, frozen or canned peaches

Fresh

Use ripe but firm peaches. Peel them if you want a softer texture, though the skin is fine to leave on. Dice into pieces about 1/2 inch (1 cm). If they are very juicy, let them drain on paper towels for a few minutes.

Frozen

Do not thaw them. Dice them while still frozen if they are in large slices, toss with the flour, and fold them in at the last second. Thawed frozen fruit releases a lot of liquid and turns the batter watery and purple-gray. Frozen peaches may need a minute or two more in the oven.

Canned

Drain thoroughly, then pat dry for several minutes. Canned peaches are packed in syrup or juice and hold a lot of moisture, so squeeze gently between paper towels after dicing. If you used peaches in heavy syrup, you can reduce the sugar in the batter by a tablespoon or two. Canned fruit is softer, so cut it slightly larger.

How to keep peaches from sinking

• Dry the fruit. Wet fruit slides through wet batter.
• Dice small. Heavy chunks sink. Pieces of about 1/2 inch (1 cm) stay suspended better.
• Toss in flour. A light coating helps the pieces grip the batter.
• Keep the batter thick. A thin batter cannot hold fruit. Measure flour by weight or spoon and level it, rather than scooping it packed into the cup. Our cups to grams converter is handy for this.
• Do not overmix. Overmixing can thin the batter and make it tunnel.
• Save some fruit for the top. Press a few peach pieces on top of each muffin before baking.

Variations

• Streusel instead of glaze: sprinkle a mixture of flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon on top before baking. Our lemon streusel muffins show a standard crumb topping.
• Spices: add a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom.
• Nuts: fold in 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped pecans or almonds.
• Whole wheat: replace up to half the flour with whole wheat flour, and add a splash of extra milk if the batter seems stiff.

Storage and troubleshooting

Store glazed muffins in a single layer, or with parchment between layers, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because they contain fruit and dairy, refrigerate them after that and eat within about 4 days. To freeze, wrap the unglazed muffins individually, freeze for up to 3 months, thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the oven, then glaze. If you are freezing butter ahead of time for brown butter, see how to freeze and thaw butter.

• Gummy or wet centers: the fruit was too wet or the muffins needed a few more minutes. Dry the peaches better next time.
• Dry muffins: likely overbaked or too much flour. See why muffins are dry.
• Burnt glaze: the butter went past brown. Use a light pan, watch it closely and pour it out as soon as it smells nutty.
• Glaze runs off: add more powdered sugar, or wait until the muffins are fully cool.

Quick answers

Can I use peach preserves instead of fresh peaches?

Not as a one-to-one swap, since preserves are very sweet and sticky. A spoonful swirled in can be nice, but use real diced peaches for the main fruit.

Can I make the muffins without glaze?

Yes. They are good plain, or with a sprinkle of coarse sugar on top before baking.

Why do my muffins have a flat top?

Old baking powder, an underfilled pan or an oven that is too cool are common causes. The initial high heat at 400°F (200°C) helps the tops dome.