Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
*Recipe below - bake along!* Professional baker Anna Olson shows you how to make these muffins that deliver a delicious sweet-heat flavour contrast, and can be made with just about any fruit that you like in your muffins.
Save the syrup from the candied jalapeños to add to dressings or dips, to add to a BBQ glaze or for jalapeño lemonade or to add to margaritas.
From Anna: I've been known to sit down with a bowl of garlic croutons and eat them as a snack, as if they were potato chips. And since I love crackers as a snack, I figured that I’d better come up with a recipe that fulfills my cravings for garlicky, crunchy goodness. Not only are these great crackers, you can use them in place of croutons in a Caesar salad.
Then, you can have this gooey, satisfying pizza dip assembled, baked and in front of you in the same time or less that it takes to order a pizza. Included are some favourite pizza toppings, but use your own top picks!
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*• Recipe •*
Makes 18 muffins
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
The muffins are best enjoyed within 2 days of baking, but they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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*• Ingredients •*
Candied Jalapenos:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (125 mL) water
Muffins:
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (175 mL) sour cream
½ cup (125 mL) 2% milk
6 Tbsp neutral oil
1 large egg
2 tsp finely grated lime zest
1 3/4 cups (262 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp fine salt
3 Tbsp (24 g) cornmeal
1 ½ cups (200 g) peeled and diced peaches (fresh or frozen & thawed)
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*• Directions •*
1. Thinly slice the jalapenos into thin rings and place in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. Bring the syrup up to a gentle simmer on medium heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the peppers turn a deeper green shade. Leave the pepper rings in the syrup to cool a little.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Whisk the sugar, sour cream, milk, oil, egg and lime zest together until evenly combined. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined. Stir in the cornmeal.
4. Strain the jalapeno rings from the syrup (the syrup will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks). Set aside 18 rings and finely chop the remaining peppers. Add these to the batter along with the nectarines and stir to incorporate.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups filling them up ¾ full (using a mechanical scoop is tidy and fast). Place a jalapeno ring on top of each muffin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops of the muffins turn a light golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Cool the muffins in the tins on a rack for 15 minutes, then tip them out to finish cooling on the rack.
*Recipe below - bake along!* Professional baker Anna Olson shows you how to make these muffins that deliver a delicious sweet-heat flavour contrast, and can be made with just about any fruit that you like in your muffins.
Save the syrup from the candied jalapeños to add to dressings or dips, to add to a BBQ glaze or for jalapeño lemonade or to add to margaritas.
From Anna: I've been known to sit down with a bowl of garlic croutons and eat them as a snack, as if they were potato chips. And since I love crackers as a snack, I figured that I’d better come up with a recipe that fulfills my cravings for garlicky, crunchy goodness. Not only are these great crackers, you can use them in place of croutons in a Caesar salad.
Then, you can have this gooey, satisfying pizza dip assembled, baked and in front of you in the same time or less that it takes to order a pizza. Included are some favourite pizza toppings, but use your own top picks!
--------
*• Recipe •*
Makes 18 muffins
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
The muffins are best enjoyed within 2 days of baking, but they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
--------
*• Ingredients •*
Candied Jalapenos:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (125 mL) water
Muffins:
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (175 mL) sour cream
½ cup (125 mL) 2% milk
6 Tbsp neutral oil
1 large egg
2 tsp finely grated lime zest
1 3/4 cups (262 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp fine salt
3 Tbsp (24 g) cornmeal
1 ½ cups (200 g) peeled and diced peaches (fresh or frozen & thawed)
--------
*• Directions •*
1. Thinly slice the jalapenos into thin rings and place in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. Bring the syrup up to a gentle simmer on medium heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the peppers turn a deeper green shade. Leave the pepper rings in the syrup to cool a little.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Whisk the sugar, sour cream, milk, oil, egg and lime zest together until evenly combined. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until combined. Stir in the cornmeal.
4. Strain the jalapeno rings from the syrup (the syrup will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks). Set aside 18 rings and finely chop the remaining peppers. Add these to the batter along with the nectarines and stir to incorporate.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups filling them up ¾ full (using a mechanical scoop is tidy and fast). Place a jalapeno ring on top of each muffin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops of the muffins turn a light golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Cool the muffins in the tins on a rack for 15 minutes, then tip them out to finish cooling on the rack.
