Cheesecake Stuffed Peaches

Things are just peachy in my kitchen right now, how about yours? I must confess I have not been keeping pace with my usual level of baking with peaches this summer. I have been so obsessed with eating peaches fresh off the tree that I didn’t even realize I hadn’t baked Chris’ beloved Peach Custard Pie yet this season! Now I am on a personal mission to play catch up to my family with peach desserts a plenty.

 My son is a big fan of cheesecake so I was excited to see what he thinks of Cheesecake Stuffed Peaches this week. This recipe is fun to make because it uses a muffin tin in a unique way. The muffin pan allows the peach halves to sit upright and level while the parchment paper directs the juices to the cup below (saving your oven from a sweet drippy mess).

 We have made this recipe many times for our private cooking classes and bridal showers here in our Cooking Classroom in Belleville. It is always a hit in peach season because it is a yummy gluten-free dessert and it is surprisingly simple to prepare. The key to a delicious stuffed peach is an Eckert’s tree-ripened peach of course. This is the time of year when many customers tell me they have never had a peach as good as an Eckert’s peach. I just love to hear that!

 Customers also ask me what the secret is to making Eckert’s peaches so sweet. There really is no secret I say! We just pick them riper than most farms and the longer the a peach hangs on the tree, the sweeter it tastes. So simple and so delicious.

I hope you will give this recipe a try this peach season. The peaches are sweeter than ever…

Eat well this summer,

Angie

Cheesecake Stuffed Peaches

6 unpeeled medium peaches, halved and pitted
2 Tbs. butter melted
3 Tbs. cinnamon sugar*
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Blackberries and mint leaves, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a piece of parchment paper over 12- cup regular-sized muffin pan. Cut an “x” into the paper just above each muffin cup. Dip peach halves, cut side up, in melted butter to coat. Place peach halves, cut side up, in prepared pan. Sprinkle top of peaches with cinnamon-sugar. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon cream cheese mixture into peach centers. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Serve warm or at room temperature. Add optional garnish of blackberries and mint. Makes 6 whole peach servings or 12 half peach servings.

*Note: Use a purchased cinnamon-sugar mixture or combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.