Sourdough Peach Cream Cheese Muffins
This is peaches and cream, in muffin form. These Sourdough Peach Cream Cheese Muffins are light and fluffy with juicy peaches folded in, a rich cream cheese center, and a buttery brown sugar crumble for the perfect finish. They’re the perfect summertime muffin for using up those fresh, ripe peaches.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cream cheese filled: a rich cream cheese center gives each bite a taste of cheesecake.
- Loaded with fresh peaches: Juicy, ripe peaches are folded into the batter for fresh peach flavor throughout.
- Optional long fermentation: This batter is easy to mix and refrigerate for added benefits of fermentation while making the muffins extra soft.
- Buttery crumble topping: This brown sugar crumble adds the perfect sweet crunch on top of the muffins.
- Uses up discard beautifully: Need to use up discard? This is the perfect option.
Tools You’ll Need:
- Standard 12-cup muffin tin- for baking muffins. I love these pans from USA Bakeware linked here.
- Muffin liners- to avoid burned edges. I love these bakery style parchment muffin liners linked here.
- Kitchen scale (optional)– for accurate measuring, especially helpful with sourdough baking.
- 1/4 cup scoop – for scooping batter. I love this scoop for muffins linked here.
- Whisk + spatula- for combining ingredients.
- Mixing bowls- for mixing batter, crumble, and cream cheese filling.
- Hand mixer or sturdy whisk- for mixing batter and filling.
- Cooling rack– to cool muffins.
- Pastry bag or ziplock- for piping cream cheese filling.
- Pastry filling tip (optional)- I use this set of tips for filling muffins and cupcakes! It’s not necessary but great if you plan to make a lot of these. I’ve linked the set I use here.
Gather Your Ingredients:
- Sourdough starter- (can use flat or past peak, can be cold or room temperature). Adds depth of flavor and moisture without making these muffins “sour”. Key for fermentation if you’re resting the batter overnight.
- Avocado Oil- Adds moisture and keeps the muffins soft and tender. You can substitute for any neutral cooking oil.
- Sour Cream– Adds moisture and acidity to balance sweetness and enhance tenderness of the crumb. You can also substitute for full-fat Greek yogurt.
- White sugar– Boosts sweetness and supports the rise and golden color. You’ll use this to sweeten the crumble and the filling.
- Whole Milk- you can use whole milk or substitute with buttermilk in the muffins.
- Vanilla extract– Enhances the flavor and brings warmth.
- Unsalted butter– Binds the crumble to give it crisp buttery texture and gives muffins moisture and flavor.
- Eggs (room temperature)– provide structure and lift with moisture, works as a binder for ingredients.
- All-purpose flour- Gives the muffins structure while keeping it soft and cakey. You’ll also use flour in the crumble.
- Baking powder + Baking soda– Ensures the right rise and bakery-style domes for the muffins.
- Salt- Balances sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
- Peaches- you’ll want to use fresh riper peaches in these muffins for the best texture and flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon- cinnamon pairs perfectly with peaches; you’ll need this for the batter and the crumble.
- Brown Sugar- to sweeten the crumble.
- Cream Cheese– make sure to use cream cheese and not a spread for the filling.
- Powdered Sugar- sweetens and stabilizes the cream cheese filling.
Instructions
Step 1: Mix the Muffin Batter
In a large mixing bowl add the white sugar, sourdough discard, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, avocado oil, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk ingredients together until blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking together until no streaks remain. It’s important to not overmix the batter, as this will make the muffin tough.
Overnight Ferment Option: At this point you have the choice to ferment the batter overnight. If you choose to ferment, cover the bowl with plastic and transfer to the refrigerator overnight. If your batter was fermenting in the refrigerator overnight, allow to rest at room temperature for an hour the next day to warm up. You can skip this step if you are not fermenting the batter.
Gather your peaches, and wash and peel the skins if desired. Chop your peaches into roughly 1/4 inch cubes.
You don’t want these peach pieces too small or you won’t taste them, but you also don’t want them too large or they won’t mix properly. The key is even chunks.
Toss the peaches in flour to coat them, then add them to the muffin batter. Gently fold the muffin batter to distribute the peaches evenly throughout, but avoid overmixing the batter.
Step 2: Mix the Brown Sugar Crumble
Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Add the flour, white sugar, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a fork to mix until a crumbly texture forms.
Step 3: Make Cream Cheese Filling
Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature and soft. Transfer to a bowl, and add the powdered sugar. Beat with hand mixers on high for about a minute, you want the filling to be light and creamy.
If you’re using a pastry tip, fit a pastry bag with the tip. Transfer all of the filling to a pastry bag or a ziplock bag. Cut off 1/4 inch of the corner end of the ziplock or pastry bag.
Step 4: Assemble and Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment liners, and gently spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
In each muffin cup, spoon 1/4 cup of batter into the muffin tins.
Grab your bag filled with cream cheese filling, and stick the bag with the end cut off down into the center of the muffin.
Pipe down into the muffin and squeeze, pulling up with the bag to form a circle on the top of the muffin as pictured below. You should be piping about 2 teaspoons of filling into each center.
Sprinkle a spoonful of the crumble topping around the edges of the muffins, making sure not to put the crumble on top of the cream cheese.
Place the muffins in the oven and bake at 350°F for 30-32 minutes. You want the edges to feel firm and the cheesecake center should look set. Remove muffins when done baking from the oven.
Garnish with slices of fresh peaches if desired.
Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Yields 16 muffins
How to Store:
Room Temperature- Store muffins in an airtight container on counter for up to 1 day. Because of the cream cheese, these muffins need to be refrigerated after 1 day.
Refrigerator- store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Gently warm before serving.
FAQ’s
Absolutely. They’ll still be moist and flavorful baked right away!
To replace the discard you can use 1/4 cup (30g) all purpose flour and 1/4 cup (60g) whole milk.
Yes, but fresh peaches will give you the best texture. If using frozen peaches, do not thaw them first. Dice the peaches while still frozen and toss them with the flour before folding them into the batter.
Tossing the diced peaches in flour helps manage excess surface moisture and distributes the peaches more evenly throughout the thick muffin batter.
Insert a toothpick into the muffin crumb beside the cream cheese center rather than directly into the filling. The toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Yes. Simply leave out the cream cheese filling and bake the muffins as directed. Begin checking the muffins a few minutes earlier since the centers may bake slightly faster without the cream cheese filling.
Drop a comment and leave a review if you loved this recipe and don’t forget to try more of my sourdough muffin recipes!
Sourdough Muffins You’ll Love:
- Healthy Sourdough Banana Blueberry Muffins
- Sourdough Blueberry Lemon Crumble Muffins
- Sourdough Banana Crumble Muffins
- Sourdough Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Sourdough Double Chocolate Muffins
Sourdough Peach Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 (200g) cup granulated white sugar
- ½ (120g) cup sourdough discard (100% hydration)
- ½ (120g) cup full-fat sour cream or whole milk Greek yogurt
- ⅔ (150g) cup whole milk or buttermilk
- 4 (60g) Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- ¼ (60g) cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 3¼ (400g) cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1¾ (250g) cups fresh peaches peeled and finely diced
- 1 (8g) Tbsp all-purpose flour (for tossing with the peaches)
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 (224g) oz cream cheese softened
- 3 (24g) Tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Crumble:
- 1/2 (75g) cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ (50g) cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ (50g) cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 (57g) Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
Step 1: Mix the Muffin Batter
- In a large mixing bowl add the white sugar, sourdough discard, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, avocado oil, melted butter, and eggs. Whisk ingredients together until blended.1 (200g) cup granulated white sugar, ½ (120g) cup sourdough discard , ½ (120g) cup full-fat sour cream , ⅔ (150g) cup whole milk , 4 (60g) Tbsp unsalted butter, ¼ (60g) cup avocado oil , 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.3¼ (400g) cups all-purpose flour, 2½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¾ tsp fine sea salt, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking together until no streaks remain. It’s important to not overmix the batter, as this will make the muffin tough.
- Overnight Ferment Option: At this point you have the choice to ferment the batter overnight. If you choose to ferment, cover the bowl with plastic and transfer to the refrigerator overnight. If your batter was fermenting in the refrigerator overnight, allow to rest at room temperature for an hour the next day to warm up. You can skip this step if you are not fermenting the batter.
- Gather your peaches, and wash and peel the skins if desired. Chop your peaches into roughly 1/4 inch cubes.1¾ (250g) cups fresh peaches
- You don’t want these peach pieces too small or you won’t taste them, but you also don’t want them too large or they won’t mix properly. The key is even chunks.
- Toss the peaches in flour to coat them, then add them to the muffin batter. Gently fold the muffin batter to distribute the peaches evenly throughout, but avoid overmixing the batter.1 (8g) Tbsp all-purpose flour
Step 2: Mix the Brown Sugar Crumble
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, and whisk until smooth.4 (57g) Tbsp unsalted butter
- Add the flour, white sugar, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a fork to mix until a crumbly texture forms.1/2 (75g) cup all-purpose flour, ¼ (50g) cup granulated white sugar, ¼ (50g) cup packed light brown sugar, ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Step 3: Make Cream Cheese Filling
- Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature and soft. Transfer to a bowl, and add the powdered sugar. Beat with hand mixers on high for about a minute, you want the filling to be light and creamy.8 (224g) oz cream cheese, 3 (24g) Tbsp powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- If you’re using a pastry tip, fit a pastry bag with the tip. Transfer all of the filling to a pastry bag or a ziplock bag. Cut off 1/4 inch of the corner end of the ziplock or pastry bag.
Step 4: Assemble and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment liners, and gently spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
- Please Note: This recipe yields 16 muffins. You may need a second pan.
- In each muffin cup, spoon 1/4 cup of batter into the muffin tins.
- Grab your bag filled with cream cheese filling, and stick the bag with the end cut off down into the center of the muffin.
- Pipe down into the muffin and squeeze, pulling up with the bag to form a circle on the top of the muffin as pictured below. You should be piping about 2 teaspoons of filling into each center.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake at 350°F for 30-32 minutes. You want the edges to feel firm and the cheesecake center should look set. Remove muffins when done baking from the oven.
- Garnish with slices of fresh peaches if desired.
- Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Yields 16 muffins