I know I say this every year, but it feels like summer's flown by in the blink of an eye. Asparagus season feels like it was just yesterday, but here we are, knee deep in peaches and blueberries and corn.
Which can only mean one thing.... the onslaught of back to school ads is just around the corner.
Sigh.
These muffins are meant to take a bit of the sting out of that realization. They taste just like summer, with big fat chunks of fresh peach in a sweet buttermilk cake batter, and there's a lovely little surprise hiding inside - a sweet creamy layer, tucked right in the middle of each muffin!
And I bet you can't guess in a million years what that creamy deliciousness is made of.
Believe it or not, it's Nordica Plain Smooth Cottage Cheese.
Yes, cottage cheese can be creamy!
The thing is, this isn't the old-fashioned kind that your grandmama might have scooped onto a salad.
What we're talking about here is cottage cheese that's been blended down to a lovely smooth consistency that's thicker than Greek yogurt, but not quite as thick as ricotta cheese.
I've been enjoying it in the simplest way possible, spooned into a bowl with some honey and fresh fruit for a light breakfast, but it's also good for adding a boost of protein to my morning smoothies, or for whisking into my scrambled eggs to make them extra-rich.
And, in this case, it makes for a delightful little pocket of creamy deliciousness right in the middle of these muffins, because the only thing better than ripe peaches is ripe peaches and cream.
(That said, any other soft summer fruit would work quite nicely... strawberries, blueberries, apricots or plums are all great substitutions if you're already tired of peaches.)
Pair a fresh-baked muffin with a big mug of hot coffee for a lazy weekend brunch, or keep them around for a little afternoon snack to ward off the dreaded 2pm slump.
And, while it pains me to say so, they're equally perfect for packing up in your lunchbox for work... or school.
Double sigh.
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Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Gay Lea, and received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
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Peaches and Cream Muffins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These golden-brown muffins are filled with chunks of fresh peach and have a surprise inside - a creamy pocket of smooth cottage cheese!
Ingredients
Peach Muffins:
- 3 cups flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup melted Gay Lea butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh peaches
Creamy Cottage Cheese Filling:
- ½ cup Nordica Smooth plain cottage cheese (see note)
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease the cups a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or line with paper liners, if you prefer.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just barely combined. Gently fold in the peaches, being careful not to overmix
- Spoon muffin batter into the prepared pan, filling each cup about halfway.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Scrape into a small plastic bag, then snip off a corner and pipe a tablespoon of filling into the centre of each muffin. Gently spoon the remaining muffin batter on top of the filling, covering completely.
- Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden-brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out with a moist crumb.
Notes
If you can't find Nordica Smooth cottage cheese at your local supermarket, you can make your own by blending regular cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
Cknikky says
Yummy looking! Guess what i need to try this weekend!
★★★★
Andrea says
Love peaches, will have to make these for my coworkers. Thanks for hosting this cool giveaway!
Alicia says
Love farm-fresh peaches every year! Looking forward to trying this one. Also, hadn't considered using cottage cheese as a protein boost in my smoothies—thank you for the great tip!
Melanie Eng says
Yummy muffins!
Sean@Diversivore says
Ok, first of all, I've had Peaches by the Presidents of the USA in my head all week, so there must be something going around. All these yummy seasonal peaches... can't help it.
Second, this is a very cool recipe. The bit of cottage cheese was surprising, but then I was kind of nodding along. Makes sense. It's a more versatile ingredient than a lot of people realize. I don't bake with peaches often enough (too tempted to just eat them all I suppose), but I love the flavours and I really do love the sound of this. Now then, if the weather would just cool down for one afternoon maybe I'd be tempted to turn on the oven....
Shareba says
Yes!! This is exactly what I need right now. I literally threw out all of the stale cereal in my house yesterday (I've been off cereal for a few months now), and I've got a ton of fresh peaches that I bought and made plans for. I can't wait to make these!!
Diane @kitchenbliss.ca says
Peaches, peaches, peaches - I use them up and then more re-appear in my kitchen. No complaints except that I am using up all my fav recipes, leaving me hunting for something new - and up pops yours! Will hunt for that cottage cheese and give this a try!
Janice says
These muffins look fantastic (love the cracked tops! You can tell it's gonna be good before you even take a bite), and though I love all the peaches and the corn, I'm crying a little that we are already there in the growing season....
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
I just love muffins, and if they're that good and that pretty, even more! What a great use the cottage cheese in the middle! I am sure it tastes fantastic in combination with the juicy sweet peaches. Thanks for the opportunity to enter the contest!