Peaches and Cream Muffins

This has been a busy little kitchen lately.

Between playing with peaches

and making muffins for the church flea market

I have had a fruitful July.
Fruitful.  Get it?

These peaches and cream muffins are most definitely a recipe worth passing on.  They come from this At Our Table cookbook, which I mentioned buying last year.  This is only the second recipe I've tried from this book, but it's a winner.  Studded with chunks of fresh peaches and laced with grated orange peel, what puts these over the top is the cube of cream cheese dunked in the middle of each muffin before baking.  When warm, the stuff oozes like fine melted chocolate.  When cool -- well, nothing more to say other than it's mmmm mmmm good.

PEACHES AND CREAM MUFFINS

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar, divided
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
6 T. butter, cut up
1 c. buttermilk (I just use regular milk with about 1 T. of lemon juice added)
3 T. orange juice (since you need orange peel for this recipe anyway, you might as well squeeze it from a fresh orange)
1 T. grated orange peel
1 egg
1 c. peeled, chopped peaches
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 12 cubes

Streusel Topping:

1/3 c. flour
3 T. sugar
1 T. orange juice
2 T. butter

In medium bowl, combine flour, 3/4 c. sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Cut in the 6 T. butter with a pastry blender, until mixture is crumbly.  In small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, orange juice, orange peel, and egg.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until moistened.  Add in the peaches.

Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers.  Fill each about 3/4 full with batter, until all is used.  Put remaining 1/4 c. sugar in small bowl; dip each little cube of cream cheese in the sugar, then stick it down into the center of the muffin batter in each cup.

In small bowl, mix together streusel topping.  Plop a small spoonful onto each muffin until all is used.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, until muffins turn a little bit golden.

NOTE:  According to the At Our Table cookbook, you can substitute other fruits for the peaches.