A luscious, juicy peach and fresh, fragrant basil are the epitome of summer. These were inspired by the apple cheddar muffins my mother used to prepare because I adore fruit and cheese together. These sweet-tasting sidekicks are the ideal addition to your summer brunch table because they are savory.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 45 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 dozen muffins |
Ingredients
- 4 fresh peaches, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 teaspoons finely minced fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (such as Sargento® Off the Block)
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 7 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (such as Sargento® Off the Block)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners.
- Mix peaches, basil, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a bowl; let sit until sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix 1 cup Cheddar cheese into flour mixture.
- Beat butter and 7 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, until just combined; gently fold in peaches. Mix flour mixture, a little at time, into peach mixture until batter is just combined.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese over batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
- It is essential to use ripe, juicy peaches, otherwise you may need to add up to 1/4 cup of milk to the batter if mixture is too dry. You may substitute 2 cups of diced frozen peaches for the fresh peaches.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 225 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 64 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 355 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I’ve been looking forward to trying these for a long time. I finally did & they didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the sweet & savory combination. Only change I made was using white cheddar instead of orange. Wish I could upload my photo here to share but this site is so finicky!
I thought these were pretty good. Maybe it was just the peaches that I used, but the muffins ultimately weren’t even a little sweet. I would maybe increase the brown sugar to 1 and 1/4 cups and also up the basil by an extra teaspoon for a little extra flavor. If you want to add the cheese on top but prevent it from sticking to the muffin liners, you can just sprinkle the cheese in the center of each muffin, avoiding the sides. Note: I baked these at 360 degrees for the specified time, which worked well for my oven.
We used a Cheddar Jack mix for the grated cheese and left the cheese off the top. Yum.
I had high hopes for these but thought they were just okay. As another reviewer stated, the cheddar sprinkled on top made it hard to separate the muffin liners from the muffins, and so they crumbled a little trying to get them out. If I make them again I won’t sprinkle cheese on top. I also thought they could use a little more basil, it didn’t stand out enough for my pallet.
A delicious savory and sweet muffin! I halved it and got 5 jumbo-sized muffins. Mine were ready at 20 min. The peaches give it a really nice sweetness. I would add a little more basil the next time. I used the brand of cheese in the ingredients list. I sprinkled a few muffins with the cheese; some I left plain. Maybe a little turbinado sugar would be nice on top, too. The one I just had with cheese was delicious and went great with Rachel’s Tomato Basil Soup from this site. Thanks for this unusual and delicious muffin!
So yummy! Made them twice exactly as written (except for using sharp instead of extra-sharp cheese because that’s what we had) and family gobbled them up both times. A good choice for anyone wanting a savory rather than a sweet muffin. Super moist and tasty. Will definitely make again–thanks!
What a fun delight of savory and sweet! Even the guys liked them! I think next time I might add some BACON! 🙂 The only change to the recipe was that I added more sugar bc the peaches were hard and awful. I think good peaches would have made this recipe a full 5 stars!
Delicious!!! I was afraid the basil would be overpowering so I used half the amount–perfect!
These muffins are very addictive. Nice combo of flavors, perfect for breakfast.
Very very good! Easy to make and so delicious. I made them as described, but added 2 tbsp of flax meal because I like to sneak healthy things into my kids. Parchment muffin cups were a plus!
I liked the idea of combining the flavors of cheese, peaches and basil, there are lots of peaches here now, I only used 2 tsp of brown sugar and a little bit more salt because I wanted it to be more savory. I also replaced cheddar for a similar good hard cheese, cheddar is too expensive where I live, the result was excellent, the peaches give them a special bittersweet touch to the proven basil and cheese association. I´ll try them with the original receipe sugar content next time. Thanks !!
I have a lot of fresh basil soo I was compelled to use it. I’ve made these before. but I only had 1/2 the cheddar this time & they were still delish! I brought some for my co-workers and they were very well received. Next time I’ll leave the cheddar out & use more basil. I don’t feel guilty eating these for breakfast; they’re not like the Dunkin Donut sugar bombs.
I have made these twice with no changes… complex, moist and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful savory and sweet muffin – I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour with great results. I may add some flax seeds next time to give the muffin more substance.
OMG, these are the best muffins I have EVER made. Super moist, the flavors are amazing! I made it exactly as written, and LOVE this!!! You will not be disappointed!
Sounds strange,but I tried it anyways. They are delicious. I have now made them twice within a week.
These were really good. I didn’t like the cheese on top, though. The cheese stuck to the muffin cups, making them hard to open without them falling apart, the tough cheese top encouraged the falling apart, and the cheese top was a little too chewy for my son. Next time, I’ll mix the rest of the cheese in with the batter.
We just came home from an orchard in Michigan with about 20# of scrumptious peaches. This was one of the recipes I tried. I love unusual combinations and this was a hit! I had to use a combination of cheddar and pepper jack, which gave them a nice kick to contrast the sweet peaches. If I have peaches left after making jam, buckle, etc., I’ll definitely make more of these!
These were fantastic! I made them exactly as described. Thanks for the “just use 1T out of the 1/2c of brown sugar” tip. I still thought they were sweet (but not too sweet).
These are delicious. Wish I had sharp cheddar on hand had to use a Mexican blend but still super good.
I’ve been wanting to make these for awhile and I finally made them today! I wish I didn’t wait so long to make them because these are delicious! Perfect for breakfast/brunch/snack! The flavours mix nicely with each other. I will definitely be making these this summer when family and friends visit!