Best of the Summer—Stone Fruit Muffins: Peaches, Cherries, and Plums Crowned with Cornbread Crumble
A crumbly golden-topped Southern treat bursting with juicy fruit, tangy cream cheese, and bold molasses richness
If summer had a flavor, this would be it. Juicy peaches, tart cherries, and sweet plums come together in a tender muffin swirled with cream cheese and topped with a buttery cornbread crumble. Did Isla mention the molasses drizzle? One bite, and you’ll see why I call these the crown jewels of the South. Let’s bake! —Stone
Summer lovin', had me a blast… 🎶
Stone here, and I’ve got a summer recipe that’s as vibrant as the fruit stand at your local farmers market. These Best of the Summer Stone Fruit Muffins are everything I love about this time of year: juicy peaches, tart cherries, and sweet plums all tucked into a tender, golden crumb. Swirled with rich cream cheese and crowned with a crisp Southern cornbread crumble, they strike that perfect balance between invigorating and comforting—just like Southern summer mornings. I left the deep south over 30 years ago, but some say I still have a noticeable and lingering southern drawl. My familial roots are in rural Tennessee, so what’s a feller to do? I guess put that slow musical drawl into my muffins, that’s what!
But we’re not stopping there. After baking, each muffin gets a warm drizzle of bold molasses (sorghum if you dare), giving them that deep, earthy sweetness that roots this recipe squarely in the South. The result is a muffin that eats like a cobbler, a cheesecake, and a skillet cornbread all rolled into one. It’s bold. It’s nostalgic. It’s the kind of recipe that begs for summer mornings, porch swings, and sweet tea.
Welcome to the Mountaintop Kitchen. Cornbread crumble muffins are ready for the porch ya’ll!
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Stone Fruit Muffins for Any Occasion
Whether you’re baking for a weekend brunch, a backyard get-together, or just to savor the season, these muffins deliver something truly special. So grab those stone fruits while they’re still in season, and let’s bake a little sunshine into every bite. The recipe’s waiting for you below.👨🏼🍳
So Get your Summer On!
These muffins aren’t just a recipe—they’re a celebration of summer at its peak. Every bite is layered: sun-ripened fruit, creamy swirl, the crunch of cornbread crumble, and that final kiss of molasses tying it all together like a hymn from a Southern kitchen. They’re messy in the best way, joyful, generous, and unforgettable. So bake them, share them, and taste the season while it’s still warm in your hands. 👨🏼🍳
Stone’s Guide to Muffin Magic: Ingredient by Ingredient
Muffin Batter:
All-purpose flour: Provides structure and body to the muffin.
Fine yellow cornmeal: Adds a rustic Southern texture and subtle corn flavor; gives the crumb a slight crunch.
Baking powder: Leavening agent that helps the muffins rise for a light, fluffy texture.
Baking soda: Works with the acid in buttermilk to create rise and tenderness.
Kosher salt: Balances sweetness and enhances the flavors of fruit and molasses.
Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth that complements the stone fruits and molasses.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens the batter and helps with browning.
Light brown sugar: Adds moisture, richness, and a hint of molasses flavor.
Buttermilk: Adds tang, activates the baking soda, and tenderizes the crumb.
Neutral oil or melted butter: Keeps the muffins moist and soft; oil offers a lighter crumb, butter adds richer flavor.
Eggs: Bind the ingredients and provide structure and lift.
Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor and adds a sweet aromatic note.
Diced peaches: Fresh, juicy bursts of summer flavor and natural sweetness.
Diced cherries or plums: Adds a tangy contrast to the sweet peaches and cream cheese.
Optional: Flour for fruit: Helps suspend the fruit evenly in the batter and prevents it from sinking.
Cream Cheese Swirl:
Cream cheese: Adds richness, tang, and a creamy swirl that balances the sweet fruit.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cream cheese layer slightly.
Egg yolk: Gives the cream cheese swirl structure so it bakes firm but creamy.
Vanilla extract: Adds a smooth, fragrant finish to the cream cheese layer.
Cornbread Crumble:
All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the crumble for structure.
Cornmeal: Adds a signature cornbread texture and flavor to the topping.
Light brown sugar: Sweetens and adds caramel-like notes when baked.
Kosher salt: Enhances the flavor and contrasts with the sweet crumble.
Ground cinnamon: Warms up the topping with cozy, familiar spice.
Cold unsalted butter: Creates that crumbly, buttery texture when baked; essential for crispness.
Molasses Drizzle:
Molasses: A bold finishing touch—deeply sweet, slightly bitter, earthy, and unmistakably Southern.
The Recipe:
On Measuring Ingredients: My preferred method of measuring is weight by grams. Baking by volume rather than weight can lead to varied and unexpected results. Flour is especially problematic when measured by volume (sifted, not sifted, spooned, not spooned, fluffed or not … you get the point). Grams are always the same; they are your friend as a baker. King Arthur Baking Company’s Ingredients Weight Chart is helpful for converting recipe weights.
On Altitude Adjustments: Before measuring ingredients, preheating your oven, or setting your timer; it’s important to consider any necessary adjustments for baking at higher altitudes, which is generally considered to be 3,500ft and above. Most recipes are written for sea level up to 3,500ft. Take at look at our baking at High-Altitude Baking Adjustments page for guidance.
Note: For this recipe at an altitude of 7,000+ft, I decreased sugar, increased flour, decreased leavening agents, increased buttermilk, and adjusting baking time/temp using the guidance noted above. 👨🏼🍳
👨🏼🍳 Tips:
1. Use baking spray to provide for easy release of your muffins from their liners.
2. Experiment with standard & jumbo muffin pans, even ramekins for big muffins.
3. Use an oven thermometer to calibrate your oven.
4. Toss diced fruit in a bit of flour to keep it from sinking.
👨🏼🍳For the Muffin Batter:
1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (60g) fine yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (55g) light brown sugar
½ cup (120ml) whole buttermilk
½ cup (120ml) neutral oil or melted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1¼ cups (200g) diced fresh ripe peaches or nectarines
⅓ cup diced fresh or dried cherries (Option: plums or other complimentary stone fruit) Note: We split the peachy batter and made half with cherries and half with plums
(Optional: Toss fruit with 1 tbsp flour to prevent sinking)
👨🏼🍳For the Cream Cheese Swirl:
4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla extract
👨🏼🍳For the Cornbread Crumble and Molasses Drizzle:
⅓ cup (40g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (30g) cornmeal
3 tbsp (35g) light brown sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
For the Finishing Touch: Molasses, for drizzling (start with 1–2 tsp per muffin)
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