It’s summer peach season in Georgia and despite the torrential rains we’ve experienced here lately, the peaches are abundant and beautiful this year. Those we’ve enjoyed so far have leaned to the tart side, making them the perfect fruity ingredient for muffins or quick bread.

Peachy Keen Energy Muffins are just the ticket to start your morning off on the right foot before you head out for a hike, a swim, a ride or whatever your summertime day includes. Literally filled to the brim with nutritious, delicious and healthy ingredients, these very lightly sweetened muffins are super easy to make and freeze well, too. You can whip up a batch in no time and eat them warm from the oven or save some for a road trip later.

The “Energy” component of this muffin equation comes from using rolled whole oats and sliced almonds as part of the “dry” mixture instead of all flour. I also add plain Greek yogurt to the “wet” mixture for some fat and probiotic tang, and a touch of cinnamon and some vanilla to pull all the flavors together. Truly a mighty breakfast in a very small package. I tried these out before hiking 3 miles to a waterfall and they kept me going, earning their name! And while these muffins are intentionally more dense than some recipes, using the rolled oats instead of cut or quick ones allows the leavening ingredients in the recipe to do their job, keeping them airy but with a variety of toothsome textures. We’re addicted to these muffins and I keep making them over and over again. I think you’ll love them too.

Got no peaches? Not summer in your part of the world? No problem. Substitute the same amount of grated apple for the peaches and chopped walnuts for the almonds. You can also substitute mashed ripe banana for the peaches and chopped pecans for the almonds. You get the idea.

Cheers to your health and more energy!

Nice crumb!

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Peachy Keen Energy Muffins
Makes 12 nicely-sized muffins

For the dry ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups rolled whole oats
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup blanched, sliced almonds
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the wet ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or full fat)
3 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon madagascar vanilla extract
2 cups peeled and chopped fresh peaches and their juice (if too tart, you can add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the peaches)

Directions:
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Place flour, oats, brown sugar, sliced almonds, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine the dry ingredients well.

In a separate large bowl, beat the egg slightly, then add the milk, yogurt, butter and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the peaches and their juice and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined and all ingredients are moistened. Don’t over stir or you’ll lose the air in the mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling them to the top of the paper cup…don’t worry, this batter doesn’t run.

Bake the muffins on the center rack for 16-18 minutes until they are lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn them out of the pan onto the rack top side up to finish cooling.

These muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days, in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about a month. Cool completely before freezing.

Fresh from the oven, yum!