Sooo I did it again. I took it too far.
I’m not sorry.
It started with a picture of a barbecued peach, juicy and glistening in the sun, dark lines from the grill burned across its surface.
And I thought… what if I put ice cream on it?
It all went downhill from there.
Peaches are so glorious, the juicy harbingers of late summer. The skin occasionally weirds me out if I bite it wrong or think about it too hard I start getting goosebumps. But it’s okay because the flavour totally makes up for it! (Don’t get me started on nectarines, they are NOT the same! They’re nothing but mutant peaches anyway! Imposters.)
I followed this recipe for baking peaches from The Kitchen Is My Playground, and if you want to just stick with the peaches and not take it over the top, I will not blame you. I, on the other hand, am going to at least put ice cream on them because it’s hot outside. And then put salted caramel on it because… well, salted caramel.
First we need to cut the peaches in half. You’ll know they’re ripe if you squeeze them and they give just a little bit.
You’ll know they’re ripe if you bite into one and the juice drips down to your elbow. Make sure to remove the pit!
These ones are perfect, oof… look at them! Gorgeous. I’m tossing mine in a 9×9 pan, but you can make them on a baking sheet or whatever you’ve got.
Next, a teaspoon of butter in the centre of each peach half.
Then some brown sugar and some cinnamon. Toss those babies in the oven and start work on the caramel! You want it hot to pour over the ice cream, but it can be reheated if necessary.
Now, there are many caramel recipes on the internet. I’m sure you have a favourite, but I was looking for one that I could use with brown sugar rather than fussing around and experimenting with white sugar and candy thermometers (of which I own none). This recipe from Kevin and Amanda has made it onto my Collectable Delectables because obviously it’s AMAZING, and I used their caramel base as the base… for my caramel…
*IMPORTANT NOTE* I wanted my caramel to be HOT when I poured it over the peaches (because melty ice cream is delicious), so I waited until the peaches had been in the oven for 15 minutes before I started the caramel. It can be reheated, but since I’m a bit of a klutz I’d rather not worry about reheating it and risking it burning.
First the butter goes in the pot.
Then because caramel comes together quickly I got no other shots. But there’s brown sugar in there and cream, and it’s all stirred together and melted and cooked until it’s texturally consistent. Then dump that sea salt in there. Ohhhhhh mannnnnn….
Pull those peaches out of the oven. Look how gorgeous they are! Perfection.
They smell amazing, all sweet and cinnamony … completely decadent even though they’re still relatively healthy at this point.
They look amazing… sticky and sweet and just oozing flavour…
This is absolutely a show-off dessert, even though it’s very simple!
Now, let me be clear, you don’t HAVE to put ice cream or caramel on these babies. If you want a healthier dessert, you can just stick with the peaches. They are completely incredible on their own, the heat bringing all at juice and flavour just below the surface…
But if you’re like me and want a little something extra, dump that vanilla ice cream on there.
Dump it and then smother in salted caramel sauce.
Because I need my sweet and salty.
Need it like peanut butter needs jam.
Or chocolate.
Or salted caramel.
These are so incredibly gooey and juicy, and the ice cream makes them the perfect treat on a hot summer day. YUM.
- 4 peaches , halved
- 8 tsp butter
- 4 tsp brown sugar
- cinnamon to taste (I used about 4 teaspoons in total, ½ teaspoon on each peach half)
- 8 scoops vanilla ice cream
- For Caramel:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cream
- 1 tbsp sea salt or kosher salt
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Preheat oven to 375°
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Cut peaches in half and remove the pits.
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Place 1 tsp of butter in the centre of each peach half, followed by ½ tsp of brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon to taste.
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Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
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In a small pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter on medium heat.
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Add brown sugar and whisk continuously until melted. Do not overheat! Sugar burns very easily.
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Mix in the cream slowly, still whisking until completely mixed and the mixture is a light brown colour. Remove from heat and mix in the sea salt.
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Serve peaches with ice cream and caramel sauce!
If you want the caramel to be hot or warm, wait until the peaches have been baking for at least 15 minutes before starting the caramel!
