A scone and a muffin got together and had offspring, and scuffins were born. With bursts of fruit flavor from fresh peaches or nectarines, these scuffins are not as dense as a scone or as light as a muffin; not as sweet as a muffin, but sweeter than a scone.  Although I set out to develop a peach scone recipe, I ended up with a scuffin. My kitchen "oops" resulted in an unexpected bundle of joy.

Turns out that I'm not the only one who has stumbled onto this hybrid of a scone and muffin. Little did I know that the New York Times wrote about scuffins after discovering them at farmer's markets in the Bay area. Their recipe is quite different from mine, but it's the same idea--part muffin and part scone. 

An easy, no fuss batter. These scuffins are quick to throw together without some of the fussing required when making traditional scones or muffins.

• No need to work quickly to keep butter cold and cut it into the dry ingredients as in a traditional scone recipe; I used melted butter that easily mixes right in.
• No need to form the dough and cut it into shapes, or pour it into muffin pans; this quick batter is plopped in rustic mounds on a baking sheet. That's it--easy!
• No need to get up early to make these; this scuffin recipe takes 30 minutes, start to finish, including baking time.

Nutritional Information. Although this recipe uses the wholesome ingredients of fresh peaches/nectarines, honey, and yogurt, it isn't a low-cal or low-carb recipe. As with any good scone, there's butter involved; it adds flavor that is hard to replicate with substitutes. Here's the nutritional breakdown of one scuffin:  

• 234 calories, 8.6g fat, 279mg sodium, 112mg potassium, 36.2g carbs, 1g fiber, 18.7g sugars, 3.6g protein. 
• Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6

Step-by-step photos for making
Peach or Nectarine Scuffins

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients. For the batter, you need:

• all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)
• nectarines or peaches 
• baking powder and soda
• salt
• cinnamon
• vanilla and almond extracts
• honey
• 2% or full-fat yogurt or sour cream (I use Greek yogurt)
• butter
• egg 

For the glaze, you need:

• powdered sugar
• peach or nectarine jam, preserves, or spread (optional, but it adds flavor and color to the glaze)
• almond extract
• milk or cream

Step 2. Cut the butter into pieces and heat it in the microwave just until it melts. Set aside to cool.

Step 3. Peel the nectarines or peaches, slice them, and cut the slices into 1/2 inch pieces.

• view on Amazon:  paring knife

Step 4. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. 

• view on Amazon:  set of 10 nesting mixing bowls,  wire whisk

Step 5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until smooth.

Step 6. Use the back of a spoon to form a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir just until combined with no visible dry flour. Don't over-mix. (Expect a thick batter.)

Step 7. Fold in the nectarines/peaches using a light touch to avoid over-mixing the batter.

• view on Amazon:  rubber spatula for mixing and folding

Step 8. Drop 12 equal portions of batter on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. A large cookie scoop makes it easy to form even mounds of batter.

• view on Amazon: baking sheets with lids (I use the large sheet in this set for baking scuffins), economical silicone mats,  large scoop

Step 9. Bake for approx. 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave the scuffins on the pan for 5 minutes.

Step 10. Transfer scuffins to a wire rack and cool completely.

• view on Amazon:  wire cooling rack (rated #1 by Cooks Illustrated's Home Test Kitchen; also fits inside baking sheet to create a cooking rack)

Step 11. Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until the mixture is free of powdered sugar lumps. Glaze should be a drizzling consistency. If too thick, add more milk/cream 1 teaspoon at a time. 

• view on Amazon:  small rubber spatula (a handy size for stirring glaze)

Step 12. Spoon 1 teaspoon of glaze onto each cooled scuffin, spreading evenly over top with the back of the spoon.

Now all that's left is eating these scrumptious treats! I love the little bursts of fruit flavor in each bite.

These are best eaten fresh the same day. Leave scuffins uncovered to prevent glaze from sweating. 

How to store them. If you need to store glazed scuffins over night, put a paper bag on its side and insert scuffins in a single layer; fold over the end of the bag. A cardboard pastry box also works well. Do not store scuffins in a sealed plastic container. To avoid getting soggy, they need to be in a porous container so they can breath. Unglazed scuffins can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks; wait to glaze them on the day they'll be eaten.

Now I don't have to choose between a scone and a muffin. Scuffins combine my favorite characteristics of both. A happy union, to be sure.

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

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Scuffins | Peach or Nectarine

By Monica              Servings: makes 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)
• 1/2 cup 2% or full fat yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup fresh, peeled, chopped nectarines or peaches (1-2 nectarines or peaches ); chop in 1/2 in. pieces
• FOR GLAZE TOPPING:
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons peach or nectarine jam (optional but recommended)
• scant 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon cream or milk

Directions

Cut butter into 4-5 pieces. In microwave safe bowl, heat butter just until melted. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place parchment paper or silicone mat on large baking sheet; set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside

In separate medium bowl, combine melted butter, yogurt, egg, honey, vanilla and almond extract. Whisk until smooth.

Use the back of a spoon to form a well in the dry mixture. Add wet mixture to dry mixture. Stir lightly with wooden spoon or rubber spatula just until uniformly mixed and no dry flour is visible; do not over mix. Batter will be thick. Gently fold in nectarines/peaches just until evenly distributed throughout batter. Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to drop 12 evenly portioned mounds of batter onto baking sheet.  

Bake approx. 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let rest 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely.

MAKE GLAZE:  In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Mix with spoon until no lumps of powdered sugar are visible and mixture is smooth.  Thin with more milk, if necessary for a drizzling consistency.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of glaze on each scuffin, spreading it evenly over the scuffin top using the back of the spoon.

HOW TO STORE THEM:  If you need to store glazed scuffins overnight, put a paper bag on its side and insert scuffins in a single layer; fold over the end of the bag. A cardboard pastry box also works well. Do not store scuffins in a sealed plastic container; to avoid getting soggy, they need to be in a porous container so they can breath. Unglazed scuffins can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 weeks; wait to glaze them on the day they'll be eaten.

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