Baked peaches is a traditional Piedmontese spoon dessert.
In fact, the three main ingredients are typical products of this Italian region, that is amaretti cookies, dark chocolate and tasty peaches!
The fruit joins the intensity of the chocolate and the delicacy of the amaretti in this uniquely tasty Italian dessert.
Peaches are cut in half then filled with crumbled amaretti and dark chocolate. Finally baked in the oven. The result is a delicious and aromatic fruit casket, ideal as a tasty dessert.
Baked peaches are a dessert traditionally served in late summer, August and September in Italy. This was the dessert that was prepared in the Piedmont countryside for the feast of Ferragosto.
Light and tasty, baked peaches are perfect to eat either hot or cold. They can be served with a scoop of gelato or fresh whipped cream.
Try baked peaches with a Piedmontese white wine such as Moscato d’Asti DOCG, a sweet dessert wine perfect for accompanying fruit desserts.
See Also:
- Peach Sorbet Recipe
- Italian Fruit Tart | Crostata di Frutta
- Chocolate Pear Cake
- Easy Fresh Strawberry Cake
How to Make Italian Baked Peaches
- Prep Time: 20 Min
- Cook Time: 45 Min
- Servings: 6
Baked Peaches Ingredients
PLEASE NOTE: Peaches should be large, ripe but firm. If they are too ripe and soft, you will not be able to dig them out and they will fall apart during cooking. If you have small peaches, you can double the quantity and calculate two halves for each person.
- 3 large peaches, ripe but firm
- 80 g (3 oz) of amaretti cookies
- 80 g ( 3 oz) of dark chocolate
- 50 ml ( 1/4 cup) of Marsala wine. If you can’t find Marsala, replace it with Rum.
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Directions
Step 1) – Start the baked peaches recipe by carefully washing and drying the peaches. Then split them in half and remove the stone.
Step 2) – Using a teaspoon, scoop out some of the flesh to make room for the filling. Be careful not to break the skin and to keep the shape of the peach halves. This will result in small bowls of peaches.
Step 3) – Place the peach pulp in a bowl and mash it with an immersion blender. It should not be blended too much. You should not get a liquid mixture but a thick one. It does not matter if you can still see peach chunks.
Step 4) – Then add the amaretti cookies to the peach pulp. Crush and chop them together with the pulp.
Cut the dark chocolate into small pieces and add them to the peach and amaretti mixture. Mix well to combine the ingredients.
Step 5) – Butter a baking dish and arrange the peaches in it.
Step 6) – Using a spoon, fill the peach bowls with the amaretti cookies, peach and chocolate mixture.
On top of each peach, place a small knob of butter. Finally, pour a bit of Marsala wine into the baking dish.
Step 7) – Bake the peaches for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 170°C ( 338 F).
Let baked peaches cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
How to Serve Baked Peaches
Serve them just warm or at room temperature. Before serving, drizzle them with the cooking juices.
You can decorate the peaches with a whole amaretto, accompany them with a scoop of gelato or fresh whipped cream.
Try baked peaches with a Piedmontese white wine such as Moscato d’Asti DOCG, a sweet dessert wine perfect for accompanying fruit desserts.
Storage
You can store baked peaches in the refrigerator in an airtight container for at most 2-3 days.
What Kind of peaches to Use to Make Baked Peaches?
The ideal peaches for making this recipe must have certain characteristics.
First of all, it is best if they are large in size. This way you will be able to dig them out better and extract more pulp.
It is also very important that they are ripe to the right point: sweet, juicy but firm and not crumbly. This way they will keep the right texture even during cooking.
Amaretti Substitutes: What can You Use?
Amaretti are cookies typical of Piedmont and Liguria but now widespread everywhere.
Amaretti are made with almonds and have a particular very intense flavor that goes well with peaches and dark chocolate.
There are crunchy Amaretti and soft Amaretti.
For making cakes or other recipes such as peach filling, the crispy ones are more suitable.
The soft version, on the other hand, is suitable for eating as a pastry with tea or coffee.
If you don’t like the taste of amaretti cookies, you can replace them with ladyfingers or dry cookies to your taste.
Baked Peaches: Some Variations
You can add other ingredients to the filling. For example, raisins, almond flakes, toasted pine nuts.
If you like, you can also flavor the peaches with a splash of rum or amaretto liqueur in the filling.
The Ligurian variation of this recipe calls for using candied fruit in the filling instead of dark chocolate.
You can replace the dark chocolate with a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder or dark chocolate chips.
It’s best to use a high-sided baking pan. This way you can easily scoop up the liqueur-based cooking sauce and sprinkle it over the peaches.
With this delicious syrup, baked peaches will be even more amazing!