Nothing says summer like a fresh, ripe peach, full and practically bursting with juicy goodness. This season, take full advantage of nature's candy with one or all of these peachy keen recipes featuring the sweet Farmers' Market find—from cakes, cobblers and crisps to lush toppings and easy preserves.
Creamy Rice Pudding with Peaches
Lovely for breakfast or dessert, this rich, sweet, creamy vanilla rice pudding provides the perfect canvas for splashes of juicy mashed summer peaches. For extra tartness to cut through the sweetness of the pudding, add fresh summer berries to your fruit mash.
A twist on the classic pineapple version, this recipe is a great way to capitalize on the season with a beautifully traditional concept, only turned upside down (see what we did there?) by switching up the main ingredient. The great news is that this rendition retains all of the qualities that make an upside down cake the ideal companion to a scoop of ice cream.
The name says it all. Bright, sweet, and full of fresh peach flavor, these muffins make an ideal start to the day, and an equally cheerful afternoon pick-me-up. No refined sugar added, these morsels are sweetened with honey, cinnamon and you guessed it—ripe summer peaches.
A stunning rustic beauty, the crostata is an Italian free-form dessert tart. Shape it any way you want—precision has no place here. A few simple ingredients and a short 25 minutes in the oven later, and your summer table will never be the same.
Not your typical peach cobbler, this baked and bubbling masterpiece is dotted with fresh raspberries, a delight for the eyes as well as the taste buds. A splash of lemon juice cuts the sweetness of sugared fruit, and the addition of crunchy pecans in the crust adds a satisfying nutty flavor.
Requiring only four ingredients, this recipe says "quick," and that's just what it means. Butter, sugar, peaches and cookie crumbs make a trip to the oven, and twenty minutes later they're warm and bubbly and ready for a scoop of ice cream. You'll want to add this to your arsenal of go-to summer desserts—possibly at the top of the list, possibly highlighted.
An all-purpose peach filling for cobblers, pies and crisps alike, but wait, there's more. This filling makes an ideal topping for ice cream, yellow cakes, oatmeal, the list goes on… Just combine ingredients, coarsely mash, and you're off to the races.
Baked in a cornmeal crust and finished with a sprinkling of crunchy almond slivers, this luscious cobbler doesn't lack texture. Maintain the fun of tradition by weaving the finishing dough into a lattice pattern.
Ever the favorite, shortcakes provide an ideal backdrop for any number of fruit toppings. This recipe, featuring a lightly spiked peach filling, calls for a garnish of fresh raspberries, but you could just as easily use any combination of your favorite berries, or none at all.
Topped with a flaky homemade pastry crust, the Amaretto Peach Cobbler has the impressive appearance of a fresh-from-the-oven pie, but retains all of the scoop-and-serve goodness of a classic cobbler. Don't be shy with the cinnamon and sugar finish—a generous sprinkling will add lovely sparkle.
Dense cake batter is transformed into an impossibly moist pudding-like texture by peaches—two ways. First, fresh peaches are simmered to make a syrup, folded into the batter, providing that pudding-perfect texture. The batter is then poured over peach slices for baking. This could be the ultimate summertime peach confection.
Spoiler alert: The secret ingredient in this delicately spiced crisp is finely minced crystallized ginger. However, if you're not a fan of ginger or spiced desserts in general, you can easily skip the ginger. To finish, we recommend serving warm, with a dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Two superstars of the season—tart, tangy lemonade and sweet fresh peaches—join forces to fill this crumble-topped summertime dessert, while sweetened pecan pieces lend a nutty, satisfying crunch.
This frozen confection is a warm-weather blessing, spiking grilled peaches with the syrup-y sweet flavor combination of almond, coconut and bourbon, and chilled to perfection. For double-duty, reserve a few of the grilled peaches for topping.
