Peach Muffins with a Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel Topping

Peaches...round 2! I had made a peach summer cake the other day and had about a cup or so of leftover peaches.  I immediately started looking around for a recipe for peach muffins.  I stumbled on a few, one from Emeril.  I didn't have all the ingredients and not wanting to make a trip to the grocery store I decided to keep looking.  After a few minutes I stumbled on a site, Ezra Pound Cake, and her recipe of Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar Walnut Streusel Topping.  I had pecans and figured this would make an perfect substitution. This recipe made a great muffin.  I was visiting my parents in New York, and I love my mother to pieces but a well-stocked kitchen she has not. She had a 6-cup muffin pan (I was thankful to find that!) Love you mother. I filled up those six, put the rest in a loaf pan and called it done. Both were great. Baking is my passion, my love, my refuge. I believe it should be fun- not stressful. Having a 6 cup muffin pan? No worries...improvise..and keep going. Let's just say these were delicious (muffin and bread form) and did not last long!

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake (whom she adapted from Sarah Foster's The Foster's Market Cookbook)
Makes large 12 muffins (or 6 muffins, and a 9-inch quick peach bread)
Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Muffin Batter:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I didn't have it..and just put in a little extra cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 tablespoon dark rum or pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla)
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, pitted, chopped peaches

1. For the Topping: In a small bowl, combine the pecans (walnuts, what have you), flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the butter, and mix until well blended.
2. For the Muffins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners, and spray the top of the pan lightly with nonstick spray.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, from flour to salt, and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sour cream and rum or vanilla. Fold in the peaches.
5. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture. Stir until just moist and blended. Do not overmix.
6. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan with a large ice cream scoop (1/3-cup scoop). The batter should come to the top of the paper liner or pan. Sprinkle with the Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping, and lightly press the topping into the muffin batter.
7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes clean. Remove from the oven, and cool for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan, and serve immediately.