If you like your peaches pure and simple, these Cheesecake-Stuffed Peach Halves are for you. They’re just a bit fancy. Slightly dressed up, so to speak.
Rather than taking the time to bake a whole homemade cheesecake, you’ll simply top off each peach half with a dollop of cheesecake cream. After a quick roast in the oven, you’ll have tender, caramelized peaches with warm, decadent cheesecake on top. Not too much. Just a sampling.
Gather what you’ll need for your Cheesecake-Stuffed Peach Halves…
- Peaches – Halved & pitted. Best to choose not-too-ripe freestone peaches.
- Butter – Melted. Lightly salted butter is used here.
- Cinnamon sugar – Cinnamon sugar is a simple, classic blend of ground cinnamon and white granulated sugar. The standard ratio is 1 part cinnamon to 4 parts sugar. For this recipe, we combined 3 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Cream cheese – Softened. If you’re looking for a possible substitute, Mascarpone – a rich and creamy Italian cheese – can be used. Another option would be Neufchatel – a low-fat version of regular cream cheese.
- Granulated sugar – When possible, I prefer to use organic granulated sugar. It’s less processed than conventional refined sugar, retaining some of the molasses, which contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Additionally, organic sugar is produced without synthetic pesticides or herbicides.
- Egg – Just the yolk of a large egg is needed here.
- Pure vanilla extract – Best to use pure vanilla extract. Made from only natural vanilla beans, water and alcohol, pure vanilla extract provides a richer, deeper flavor profile with additional aromatic notes that the artificial version lacks.
Be sure to use freestone peaches for this one. Their flesh doesn’t stick to the pit and they tend to be larger and less juicy than clingstone peaches. They bake well and can be simpler to prepare since the flesh is easy to separate from the pit.
Before we move on to the recipe. Did you know how beneficial peaches are to our general good health? Take a look at this article …you’ll be amazed at the long list of reasons we should be eating lots of peaches. Especially while they’re in season.
And you probably didn’t know that there are more than 300 varieties of peaches grown in North America! Here’s the rundown on the top six.
Easy clean-up with parchment paper…
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- While the oven is preheating, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Easy clean-up …always a good thing.
- After the peaches are washed well, they are halved, pitted and arranged cut-side-down on the prepared baking sheet.
- That will prevent excessive browning while you prepare the cheesecake topping.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- Add sugar, egg yolk and vanilla.
- Beat until well combined.
- Set the cheesecake mixture aside.
Once the topping is ready, finish getting the peach halves ready.
- Trim a very thin slice from the round side of each peach half.
- That step ensures that the peach halves stand flat on the baking pan.
- Dip the peach halves in melted butter to coat.
- Arrange the peach halves, cut sides up, in the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the cut sides of peaches with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Spoon a dollop of the cheesecake mixture into the center of each peach half.
- Do your best to distribute the mixture evenly.
Your Cheesecake-Stuffed Peach Halves are almost ready to enjoy.
- Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and softened.
- You now have a delicious, not-too-sweet, not-too-rich treat.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Allow to cool down for just a few minutes.
- Transfer the cheesecake-stuffed peach halves to a serving dish.
- Watch them disappear.
Cheesecake-Stuffed Peach Halves
A quick roast for these Cheesecake-Stuffed Peach Halves = tender caramelized peaches with warm decadent cheesecake on top. Not too much, just a sampling.
Ingredients
- 6 freestone peaches, halved & pitted
- 1/4 cup butter, melted (4 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar *
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
-
Trim a very thin slice from the round side of each peach half so halves stand flat on the baking pan. Dip peach halves in melted butter to coat. Arrange peach halves, cut sides up, in prepared pan. Sprinkle cut sides of peaches with cinnamon-sugar; set aside.
-
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Spoon cream cheese mixture into peach centers.
-
Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
* Don't have cinnamon-sugar in your pantry?
Make your own. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
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