As I continue to deny the crunch of leaves under my feet and ignore the increasingly crisp evenings, I will bring you a few more recipes that grasp at Summer and make the most of the last bins of overripe berries and stone fruit. This recipe can be adapted for any fruit you have handy, I used fresh strawberries and white peach. The strawberries are on their way out but the last few containers I’ve gotten have been super sweet and dirt cheap. I’d better not catch anyone eating these muffins with a Pumpkin Spice Latte! Sacrilege! Down with Fall! ***Don’t forget you still have a few more days to donate to my Kickstarter Campaign, Chill Baby Gourmet Gluten Free Ice Cream Sandwiches!*** Check it out and pass it on to your gluten free friends and family!

Adapted from Lulu at Home. Makes about 16 regular-sized muffins

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup ground hazelnut
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup chopped fresh white peach, blanched and peeled
(Substitute 2 cups of any fresh or frozen fruit you like)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.

Heat a dry, nonstick skillet over medium high heat and pour raw hazelnuts into it.

Toast, shaking the pan occasionally to ensure the nuts don’t burn. When you can smell the hazelnuts and the skins are beginning to fall off the nutmeat, turn off the heat and transfer the nuts unto a fine mesh strainer.

Scrape the nuts against the mesh to remove the skins. When you’ve removed as much of the skin as you can, place the nuts into a food processor and whiz until you have a coarse meal, don’t grind too long or you will end up with hazelnut butter!
In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients including hazelnut meal.

In another bowl, mix together wet ingredients.

Combine the two bowls and stir together until just blended.  Do not overmix.

Gently fold in chopped fruit.
Scoop each muffin cup with 3/4 full of batter and top with a fresh strawberry slice.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes then serve. Muffins keep in an airtight container for about 2-3 days and freeze beautifully.

For this beachy, peachy drink I sought out every variety of stone fruit I could find. We got yr peaches, yr apricots, yr plums and more. Find whatever is in season at your farmers market, chop it up and toss it in. You can’t go wrong with this one!

- 1 large peach
- 1 large nectarine
- 1 apricot
- 1 black apricot
- 1 red plum
- 1 black plum
- 4 strawberries
- 1 handful of blueberries
- 1 cup peach schnapps
- 1 bottle prosecco

Pit the stone fruit and cut them into small chunks (1/2 inch or smaller.)
Hull the strawberries and cut into smaller chunks.
Place all fruit in a pitcher or bowl and pour the peach schnapps over the top. Mix and muddle gently with a spoon then refrigerate for at least an hour, a few hours would be ideal.

Remove the mixture from the fridge and pour into a glasses filling about halfway. Fill the rest with ice cold prosecco, mix with a swizzle stick and serve immediately.

This stuff tastes easy-breezy but it packs a punch so pace yourself…or just go crazy and knock yourself out!