Natalie of Good Girl Style is back today with a stunning fruit-based dessert that’s literally fruit based: Brilliantly, a mouthful of cheesecake uses a halved peach as its foundation. Wow. Natalie joins us each month to share incredible desserts with Big Girls, Small Kitchen readers–desserts that are entirely gluten-free, but not like obviously gluten-free. That means no specialty flours or hard-to-find ingredients, just good old-fashioned butter, eggs, fruit, and cream cheese. Not ready to say goodbye to summer? Try her Chocolate-Covered Banana Pudding Pops.
It’s late summer. We shiver through early morning, determined we don’t need a sweater, determined that summer isn’t ending, determined that we have some say in the matter. Well, when it comes to dessert, we do have some say in the matter! This dessert is the perfect blend of the beginning of fall and the last taste of summer. The peaches go well with a strong cup of coffee, and can be served with ice cream or caramel sauce to make them more decadent.
This recipe is another easy-but-impressive dish that your friends won’t know took you 20 minutes. The ingredients are readily at hand, and if you can find local organic peaches, all the better. Just cut and pit the peaches, whip together the filling, and assemble. Tender baked peaches combine with a creamy, spicy cinnamon-sugar mix that might make you think fall isn’t so bad after all. And that maybe a sweater isn’t the worst idea.
**Recipe**
Baked Peaches with Cheesecake Filling
By Natalie Wise
Adapted from BHG
Serves 4-8 (depending on if you serve a half or whole peach to each guest)
Ingredients
4 peaches
¼ cup butter
1/2 cup sugar, divided
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoons each ground ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prep the peaches by slicing them down the middle along the seam. Remove the pit and use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the pit remnants and to make a small cavity for the filling. Slice a tiny bit off the bottom of the peach halves so they will sit flat. Melt the butter and brush on the cut edges of each peach half. Sprinkle the peach halves evenly with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Arrange in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or rimmed cookie sheet cut side up.
Next, make the cheesecake filling. In the bowl of a mixer place the softened cream cheese, the second 1/4 cup of the sugar, the egg yolk, vanilla and spices. Beat until completely combined, scraping down the sides as you go. You’ll want every last bit of the filling. Divide it evenly into the cavities of the peaches.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the peaches are fork-tender and the cheesecake filling is golden-brown and slightly puffed. Sprinkle with additional spices if desired and serve immediately.
