Peach-Ginger Muffins with a Pecan Crumble Top
Tender, grain-free almond flour muffins studded with juicy summer peaches, warmed with fresh and ground ginger and a hint of cinnamon, and crowned with a buttery pecan crumble.
Yield: 9 muffins · Active: 20 min · Total: 45 min · Best in North America in mid to late summer, when peaches are ripe · Best eaten: morning or midday
Ingredients
Muffins
2½ cups blanched almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
2 pasture-raised eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup raw honey (or maple syrup)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or melted grass-fed butter)
3 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 cup ripe but firm peaches, diced (about 2 small peaches), patted dry
Pecan crumble
⅓ cup pecans, finely chopped
2 tbsp blanched almond flour
1 tbsp coconut sugar
¼ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
1 tbsp cold grass-fed butter (or coconut oil)
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
Method
Prep. Heat the oven to 350°F, and line a muffin tin with 9 unbleached paper liners.
Make the crumble. Rub the crumble ingredients together with your fingertips until they form small clumps. Set it aside.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the almond flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, honey, olive oil, coconut milk, fresh ginger, vanilla, and vinegar, and whisk until smooth.
Fold in the peaches, gently, saving a few pieces for the tops.
Fill and top. Fill the liners about three-quarters full, press a few pieces of peach into each top, and sprinkle generously with the crumble.
Bake 22–25 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.
Cool completely in the tin before removing them; they firm up as they cool.
Tip: Patting the diced peaches dry keeps their juice from making the muffins soggy.
Storage
Airtight at room temperature up to 2 days (the juicy peaches make them more perishable than berry muffins), refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
A note on honey: Baked honey is no longer raw. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Peaches — vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber.
Fresh and ground ginger — gingerols and shogaols, well studied for easing nausea and supporting digestion.
Almond flour — vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats. With no gluten to develop, the eggs do most of the work of holding these muffins together, so they're denser and more satisfying than wheat muffins.
Pecans — vitamin E, manganese, and zinc.
Pasture-raised eggs — complete protein, choline, and vitamins A, D, E, and K2.
Raw apple cider vinegar — its acidity reacts with the baking soda, for a lighter, more tender rise.
Ceylon cinnamon — polyphenols that help moderate blood sugar.
For your cycle: Ginger is well studied for easing menstrual cramps, which makes these especially comforting during the menstrual phase.
Sourcing
Peaches — organic (peaches are among the most heavily sprayed fruits when grown conventionally), from a farmers' market in summer
Almond flour — organic and blanched (keep it in the fridge)
Pecans — organic and raw, kept in the fridge
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised
Fresh ginger — organic
Raw honey and maple syrup — organic, local, unfiltered raw honey; organic Grade A dark maple syrup
Coconut milk — organic and full-fat, with no guar gum
Coconut sugar — organic
Grass-fed butter — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows
Ground ginger and Ceylon cinnamon — organic and non-irradiated
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass (a mild, fruity oil is best for baking)
Baking soda — aluminum-free
Muffin liners — unbleached parchment
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall