5 Stuffed Peach Recipes for One Heck of a Dessert Tray

By Erin Phraner, Refinery29

Every now-and-then we have to remind ourselves that simplicity is important, even when it comes to dessert. That's why we're so into this easy summer meal-ender: stuffed, roasted peaches. There are many ways to fill 'em, but the key to each recipe is letting the season's fabulous fresh peaches shine. With a few ingredients, you can whip up a treat that's effortlessly chic (and actually pretty cheap, too). Try one of our five stuffed peaches, or go rogue and come up with a filling of your own - it's hard to go wrong!

Raspberry-Cheesecake Stuffed Peaches
Think outside of the cake pan and bake sweet-tangy raspberry cheesecake in scooped-out peach halves. Don't have a food processor? Beat the filling with an electric mixer or by hand; it'll just take a little longer.

Ingredients
Serves: 4 to 8
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Kosher salt
4 ripe peaches
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup raspberries

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1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Put the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.

2. Halve the peaches: For each peach, run your knife along the natural crease of the peach, pressing down to the pit. Hold the peach in your hands - one hand on each half - and twist in opposite directions to release and pull apart. Remove the pit; scoop out center of each half using a melon baller or small spoon. (Slice small piece off rounded side, so the peaches sit flat, if desired.)

3. Arrange peaches in the prepared baking pan. Brush cut edges with melted butter; drizzle with lemon juice. Fill each peach center with the cheesecake mixture and top with a few raspberries. Bake until peaches are golden and soft and the filling just sets - about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Crunchy-Pistachio Stuffed Peaches
Salty, crunchy pistachios pair perfectly with summer peaches, plus the color contrast is beautiful! Double the filling recipe and keep some in the fridge for last-minute fruit-filling while summer lasts. Take the pistachio theme a step further and serve with pistachio-flavored gelato on the side.

Ingredients
Serves: 4 to 8
1/4 cup pistachios, plus chopped pistachios for sprinkling
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened; plus, 4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
4 ripe peaches
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Put the pistachios and sugar in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the two tablespoons of softened butter, flour, and a pinch of salt and pulse until combined into a chunky paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.

2. Halve the peaches: For each peach, run your knife along the natural crease of the peach, pressing down to the pit. Hold the peach in your hands - one hand on each half - and twist in opposite directions to release and pull apart. Remove the pit; scoop out center of each half using a melon baller or small spoon. (Slice small piece off rounded side, so the peaches sit flat, if desired.)

3. Arrange peaches in the prepared baking pan. Brush cut edges with the melted butter; drizzle with lemon juice. Fill each peach center with the pistachio mixture and sprinkle with more chopped pistachios. Bake until peaches are golden and soft and the filling puffs up - about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

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Lemon-Ricotta Stuffed Peaches
It doesn't get easier than these lemon-ricotta stuffed peaches. Simply, bake the fruit plain, then fill with a mixture of ricotta, honey, and lemon zest once they've cooled slightly. Good-quality fresh ricotta will make a world of difference!

Ingredients
Serves: 4
4 ripe peaches
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup good-quality fresh ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 to 2 tsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Halve the peaches: For each peach, run your knife along the natural crease of the peach, pressing down to the pit. Hold the peach in your hands - one hand on each half - and twist in opposite directions to release and pull apart. Remove the pit; scoop out center of each half using a melon baller or small spoon. (Slice small piece off rounded side, so the peaches sit flat, if desired.)

2. Arrange peaches in the prepared baking pan. Brush cut edges with the melted butter; drizzle with lemon juice. Bake until peaches are golden and soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, lemon zest and honey in a small bowl. Spoon ricotta mixture into the peach centers.

Orange-Amaretti Stuffed Peaches
Amaretti cookies, Italian almond-flavored cookies (similar to macaroons), add a ton of flavor and texture to these peaches. Find them in the cookie aisle or at your local bakery. No luck? Try gingersnaps, instead.

Ingredients
Serves: 4
1/2 cup crumbled amaretti cookies, plus more for topping
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened; plus, 4 tablespoons melted butter
1 large egg
4 ripe peaches
2 tbsp orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Put the amaretti cookies, flour, sugar, and orange zest in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse until combined and in pea-sized bits. Add the egg and pulse until the mixture comes together into a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.

2. Halve the peaches: For each peach, run your knife along the natural crease of the peach, pressing down to the pit. Hold the peach in your hands - one hand on each half - and twist in opposite directions to release and pull apart. Remove the pit; scoop out center of each half using a melon baller or small spoon. (Slice small piece off rounded side, so the peaches sit flat, if desired.)

3. Arrange peaches in the prepared baking pan. Brush cut edges with melted butter; drizzle with orange juice. Fill each peach center with the amaretti mixture and top with more crumbled amaretti. Bake until peaches are golden and soft and the filling puffs up, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Bourbon-Praline Stuffed Peaches
This dessert is all about southern comfort! Each peach is filled with a pecan-brown-sugar crumble and splashed with a little bourbon before baking. Drizzle peaches with dark chocolate or top 'em with vanilla and/or butter-pecan ice cream. Store leftover crumble in the freezer for up to three months.

Ingredients
Serves: 4
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature; plus, 4 tablespoons melted butter
4 ripe peaches
2 tbsp bourbon
4 oz dark chocolate, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Put the brown sugar, flour, pecans, and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse until it's in very small bits (and mixture holds together when pinched between your fingers).

2. Halve the peaches: For each peach, run your knife along the natural crease of the peach, pressing down to the pit. Hold the peach in your hands - one hand on each half - and twist in opposite directions to release and pull apart. Remove the pit; scoop out center of each half using a melon baller or small spoon. (Slice small piece off rounded side, so the peaches sit flat, if desired.)

3. Arrange peaches in the prepared baking pan. Brush cut edges with melted butter; drizzle with bourbon. Squeeze handfuls of pecan mixture in your hands and crumble into each peach center. Bake until peaches are golden, soft, and the filling puffs up, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

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