Summer Peaches with Baked Meringue

Summer peaches need very little enhancement. Here's a play on "peaches and cream" with warm baked peaches topped with marshmallowy whipped meringue. It's a beautiful and simple showstopper for late-summer parties.

Peach Dessert Recipe
Sally Vargas

I have an adage when it comes to peaches: Travel to the peaches, don’t ask them to travel to you. And when they do arrive as close to home as you can find them, make this simple dessert of peaches topped with meringue.

Buy Fresh, Local Peaches!

I love you, California, but your peaches don’t like to travel, particularly across country. Years of disappointment, spurred by my impatience to grab the first peaches I see in the supermarket, have finally taught me this lesson.

Since I live in Massachusetts, I have to wait until the second half of July for decent local peaches to arrive. (I will often hedge my bets and fall for New Jersey peaches with pretty good luck!)

Sometimes you can find good supermarket peaches imported from other states, but the only way to find out is to buy a few and try them out. If they’re good, go back for more.

Baked Peaches Dessert prepare the peaches
Sally Vargas

With Peaches, Keep It Simple

After eating your fill of peaches on their own, start on the desserts. Since peaches are so juicy and sweet, and their season is so short, they deserve special treatment.

And by that I mean, almost no treatment at all.

Enter this rustic skillet dessert. Toss some sliced peaches (no need to peel them) in brown butter and brown sugar, infuse them with vanilla and almond extracts, and top them with meringue.

After baking, the peaches soften slightly and release their juices. The meringue topping is slightly crisp on the outside but soft and marshmallowy on the inside.

We all know the flavor combination of peaches and cream, but here, the sweet meringue plays off the tart peaches in a new way that lets the tart peaches shine. Be sure to have a bowl and a big spoon on hand to scoop up the soupy juice.

Peach Dessert Recipe
Sally Vargas

A Versatile Summer Dessert

But wait, there’s more! This is a great recipe to use all kinds of summer stone fruits: nectarines, plums, pluots or apricots, alone or in combination. Throw in some blueberries or raspberries if you have them. These are all great choices.

In other words, this is a “fly by the seat of your pants” dessert. Its burnished cloud of meringue on top has a huge wow factor. A pretty good bang for a minimal amount of effort!

More Ways to Enjoy Summer Peaches!

Summer Peaches with Baked Meringue

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings

To bring cold eggs to room temperature quickly, set them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before you separate them.

Ingredients

For the baked peaches:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/2 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons amaretto (almond liqueur), or 1 teaspoon pure almond extract

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 4 medium peaches, halved, pitted and thickly sliced (no need to peel)

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the meringue topping:

  • 4 large egg whites, at room temperature

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 1 cup sugar

  • Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Special Equipment

  • Stand mixer

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF:

    Have on hand a 9- to 10-inch oven-safe skillet, or a similar-sized ceramic baking dish.

  2. Make the brown butter:

    In the skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter solids turn light brown and the butter smells nutty—about 2 to 3 minutes or so.

    Immediately remove the pan from the heat. (If using a baking dish for this dessert, brown the butter in a small skillet and transfer it to the baking dish.)

    • Read more about how to brown butter and watch a video HERE.
    Peach Dessert Recipe warm the butter
    Sally Vargas
    Peach Dessert with Meringue Recipe make the brown butter
    Sally Vargas
  3. Prepare the peaches:

    Stir the brown sugar, vanilla, Amaretto, and salt into the brown butter. Add the peaches and toss to coat them with the sugar.

    Spread them in the pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon.

    Baked Peaches Dessert prepare the peaches
    Sally Vargas
  4. Make the meringue:

    In the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar until foamy.

    Gradually increase the speed and slowly add the sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds firm peaks. (This takes about 3 to 4 minutes.) Fold in the lemon zest.

    Easy Peach Dessert with Meringue make the meringue
    Sally Vargas
  5. Bake the peaches:

    With a large spoon, spoon the meringue over the peaches and swirl it gently to give it pretty peaks.

    Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. It should be firm on top, but still soft in the center.

    Peach Dessert with Meringue Recipe swirl the meringue on top
    Sally Vargas
  6. Serve:

    Cool briefly before serving. This dessert is best eaten on the day you serve it, but leftovers will keep for a few days, refrigerated.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
229 Calories
5g Fat
45g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 229
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Cholesterol 11mg 4%
Sodium 95mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 45g 16%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 44g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 5mg 26%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 220mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.