Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

So, for those of you who hadn't noticed, I thought I'd take a moment to point it out. It's September. 

I know, right? Crazy. I may have just blown your minds.

September means many different things to many people. 

It honestly doesn't feel like that long ago that right about now I'd be trying on my pleated uniform skirt and looking in the mirror trying to decide whether it would be worth the added cool factor to one-shoulder my backpack or not. 

September is a combination of the last hot days and the first cool ones. It starts with your shirts smelling faintly of sunscreen and ends with your sweaters smelling distantly like nutmeg. 

It means that our summer is coming to a close. Which, of course, also means that peach-season is coming to a close. But don't worry, I've always believed things should go out with a bang. 

This is no exception. 

Aside from the simple perfection of that first bite into that first summer peach, most of my favorite peach-moments happen at the end of summer as we search for new ways to use up the last few falling from the trees, to pretend that more are still coming even when we know they're not, to enjoy them for as long as possible.  

My grandmother's solution was to stew them in large pots with thick sticks of cinnamon and small pinches of sugar. 

As a kid, I would stand with her, our hips cocked against the kitchen counter as we washed peaches and gossiped about the start of school. I can still feel the fuzz of them beneath my fingers. I can still smell them simmering, filling the whole house with this perfect balance of the freshness of summer and the cinnamon-scented warmth of fall.

We would make a lot of things with those stewed peaches, pies mostly, but we'd also freeze a special few batches--the one's we somehow stopped ourselves from devouring on the spot. 

These are the batches I would find in the back of the freezer, in the middle of December, when summer was long forgotten. These are the ones that would get warmed on the stove and spooned on top of ice cream and eaten as I sat doing homework or watching TV on the carpet by our fireplace. A reminder that it's always possible to save a little slice of summer. 

These cupcakes are not my grandmother's peaches, but nothing else ever really could be. 

I will say, however, that I think these would make her darn proud. And that right there, that's saying something.  

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes
adapted from here. 

makes about 16 cupcakes

For the crumble topping:

1/4 cup sugar

_1/3 cup brown sugar

_1/3  cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled not room temperature

Place all dry ingredients into a small bowl, stir to combine. Cut the butter into pieces and work them into the dry ingredients with your fingers, until coarse clumps have formed. Set aside.

For the cupcakes:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 medium sized peaches, skins removed, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Line cupcake tins and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients (through cardamom). In a separate bowl, beat the butter and both sugars until they are light and fluffy looking, this should take about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Fold the peaches into the batter gently.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tins, leaving them only half full. Top each with 1 tablespoon or so of the crumble mixture, so that the cupcake tins are now about ¾ full. Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. They will be surprisingly soft on the bottoms because of the moistness of the peaches, don’t be alarmed. If the toothpick is coming out clean, they should be cooked through. Once they cool they will be slightly sturdier. Frost and serve.

For the frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½-2 lbs powdered sugar

¼ cup milk

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the sugar in small batches, mixing continuously. Use more or less sugar, depending on desired sweetness. Add milk gradually, mixing until combined.