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Cornmeal Muffins with Peaches | ![]() |
Strange Fruit
Something that until now, only iTunes knows about me: for a good 15 years, I've collected 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 Old is New. In 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.
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
CORNMEAL MUFFINS with PEACHES
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
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-
COMBINE
- 1 large ripe peach, cut into 12 small wedges first, then chopped
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 Apple, anyone? Or mango? Or hmmm, fresh pineapple? These muffins are very adaptable, I think!










More Morning Muffins
(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)~ more muffin recipes ~
Gorging on Summer Peaches!
(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)~ more peach recipes ~
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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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna