Warm, Stuffed Peaches & Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler

Okay, so I realize I am one gigantic tease right now, dangling delicious peach recipes in front of you when your grocery stores and farmers markets are most likely fresh out. Sadly, our fuzzy friends have been replaced long ago with pumpkins, pears and gourds and won't be returning for quite some time.

So why? Why am I doing this to you? Because I love you. Because I want you to have these amazing peach recipes. And because I know that these dishes are entirely too delicious to be thrown on the back burner until next summer, where they will inevitably get lost in the shuffle of all the new grilled, frosty and tropical treats I'll be touting.

Just promise me you'll flag...bookmark...print...whatever you have to do to assure these recipes are in your hands when peaches are once again within grasp. Promise me that, and I'll promise you a delicious breakfast and dessert.

In my opinion, these stuffed peaches are one of the few bearable ways to start a morning. Who doesn't love waking up to a house filled with autumn spices and a plate of warm, soft peaches? They're stuffed with toasted almonds, graham cracker crumbs, dried fruit, brown sugar and spices, baked, and topped with warm peach nectar and creamy vanilla yogurt. They're packed with nutrition, delicious, elegant and great for company on a chilly fall morning. (Just not too late…ahem....into fall.) 

The only modification I made was to use different dried fruits. The recipe calls for tropical fruit, but I opted for a mix that included cranberries, strawberries, cherries and blueberries. (Delish!) I'm sure whatever mix you have on hand would work as well, even raisins. 

And the cobbler, now my all time favorite (and I’ve had my fare share of Grandma’s homemade cobblers) is super easy and super cute, served in individual ramekins and dolloped with a delicious oatmeal cookie batter. That's cobbler and cookies...topped with ice cream. Three desserts in my very own personal dish? Which means I don’t have to share a single bite because that’s the whole point of the personal dish? Um, yeah, it's my all-time favorite cobbler.

If you simply cannot wait, I suppose you could use canned peaches for the cobbler, (eek!) although I don’t recommend using canned peaches for anything but food drives. I intend to experiment with other fruits myself. Apple cobbler...berry cobbler...I assume they all could benefit from a chewy, spiced oatmeal cookie crust, don't you?

But for the stuffed peaches, well, I’m sorry, you’ll definitely have to wait a bit to taste this heart-warming breakfast. Like I said…I’m a tease.

But I promise…from here on out, it’s all foods that you can not only look at and read about, but also make. Imagine! Isn't that just...ahem...peachy?

Warmed, Stuffed Peaches

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, JULY 2006

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 peach half and 1 tablespoon yogurt)

Printable Recipe Card (Does not include my notes)

Note: You can prepare and refrigerate the stuffing before you go to bed, then assemble and bake the peaches in the morning. Enjoy one peach half as a pre or post-workout snack. Or have two stuffed peach halves with an eight-ounce glass of skim milk or one ounce of string cheese for breakfast. The peach halves also are a nice addition to a brunch buffet.

Ingredients:

4  peaches, halved and pitted

1/2  cup  dried tropical mixed fruit (such as Sunkist brand)
(I used a mix of dried strawberries, cranberries, blueberries and cherries)

1/4  cup  slivered almonds, toasted

2  tablespoons  graham cracker crumbs

2  tablespoons  brown sugar

1/4  teaspoon  ground allspice

1  (12-ounce) can peach nectar

1/2  cup  vanilla yogurt, divided

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Scoop out peach pulp to form a 2-inch circle in center of each half. Reserve pulp, and finely chop. Combine pulp, dried fruit, toasted almonds, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and allspice. Divide the pulp mixture evenly among peach halves. Place stuffed peach halves in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Add nectar to pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until peaches are tender. Drizzle peach halves evenly with liquid from pan. Top evenly with yogurt.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 134 (17% from fat), Fat: 2.5g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.5g), Protein: 2.2g, Carbohydrate: 27g, Fiber: 2.1g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Iron: 0.5mg, Sodium: 30mg, Calcium: 39mg.

Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler

Cooking Light, JUNE 2009

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Printable Recipe Card

Note: You can make this in individual ramekins with one dollop of dough on top of each. The baking time remains the same.

Ingredients:

Topping:

1/2  cup  granulated sugar

1/2  cup  packed brown sugar

1/2  cup  butter, softened

2  teaspoons  vanilla extract

1  large egg

4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

1  cup  old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2  teaspoon  baking powder

1/2  teaspoon  salt

Filling:

11  cups  sliced peeled peaches (about 5 pounds)

1/3  cup  granulated sugar

2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare topping, place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Weigh or lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour, oats, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

To prepare filling, combine sliced peeled peaches, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and fresh lemon juice in a bowl; toss to coat. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dollop 12 mounds of chilled dough over peach mixture at even intervals. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 307, Fat: 9.1g (sat 5.1g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.7g)

Protein: 4.5g, Carbohydrate: 54.1g, Fiber: 3.8g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Iron: 1.6mg, Sodium:177mg, Calcium: 43mg.

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