Peach Cobbler Cookies

A weird thing has occurred: I've lost my sweet tooth. Oh, the irony. A baker who eats one bite of dessert.

It's true, dear readers. As I've grown up, my desire for sugar has diminished. Good for the waist line, and even better for my friends and family who get all of my baked goods for themselves.

So, these Peach Cobbler Cookies are wonderful for peeps like me: Those who like a taste of something sweet, but you don't need a gigantic slice of pie or a three-scoop sundae. Just one cookie, and all is good in the hood. I especially feel this way in the summer. When it's 90-plus degrees, I really do not eat a ton.

These cookies are fabulous. The brown sugar and spices and such a nice background to the sweet peaches. They go wonderfully with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

Please check out my instructions on peeling peaches for the recipe listed directly below the cookie recipe.

I omitted the almond extract called for in the recipe because I am allergic. I also chopped my peaches on the small side so that they were evenly distributed throughout the batch. The recipe listed the yield is 4 1/2 dozen, but my batch made about 4 dozen. I baked my cookies on two cookie sheets at a time for exactly 16 minutes, flipping the sheets half way from top to bottom and bottom to top. These are especially wonderful warm, and they hold up very well for several days in an air-tight container.

Peach Cobbler Cookies
Makes: About 4 1/2 dozen
From "Taste of Home: Simple and Delicious"

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in peaches.

Drop cookie dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake until cookies are set, 14-16 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight container.

Please note: The Jersey Girl omitted almond extract due to a food allergy.

How to Peel a Peach

1. Bring a pot of water to a roiling boil.

2. With a slotted spoon, drop in your peaches gently.

3. Cook in the rapidly boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove with slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water.

5. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off with your finger tips.

6. Pit the peach by splitting it open if you can. Remove the pit with your fingers or a spoon.

Sweet Peach Iced Tea

Sweet Peach Iced Tea. I totally love it! And I pretty much keep my beverage drinking to water (and lots of it), coffee and red wine. So my love says something.

This iced tea is just a nice surprise and so simple to make. And it highlights one of my fave summer flavas: PEACH!

It is a lovely drink for a summer party. You can make it the day before. The longer the flavors marinate, the better. This is a great way to use up peaches. They can be mushy or even under ripe. It works either way!

You slice them super thin like this:

You don't even need to peel them! You cook the peaches down into a sugary syrup and add it to your tea.

I call this Sweet Peach Iced Tea, but it's not tooooo sweet. It's just right.

Sweet Peach Iced Tea
Makes 8 cups

For the simple syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3-4 peaches, sliced thinly

For the tea:
8 cups water
6 tea bags, tied together

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water and peaches.

Bring to a boil. Stir. Cook over medium high heat so that the sugar dissolves and peaches soften, about five minutes.

Using a potato masher, lightly crush peaches.

Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Using a strainer, strain syrup into a bowl with a spout. Press the fruit into the strainer with a wooden spoon to get as much juice out of the peaches as possible.

For the tea:

In a large pot bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add tea bags. (I like 6). Seep for 10-30 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea.

Pour simple syrup mixture into tea. Stir. Allow tea to cool. Serve over ice.

Grilled Peach Bruschetta

Sometimes the most unusual combinations make the most delightful dishes. That's how I feel about my Grilled Peach Bruschetta. 

The rosemary olive oil, goat cheese, basil and balsamic bring out earthy qualities of a peach that are magnificent to discover. It's a combinations you should most definitely try.

Topped on toasted baguette, this a dish that will impress your guests during your next summer get together. 

Grilled Peach Bruschetta

(Makes 10-12 servings)

By Susan Watson Leiser

1 large ripe but firm peach, halved and pitted

¼ cup rosemary olive oil

10-12 slices French baguette

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

10 large basil leaves, chiffonade

Balsamic vinegar to drizzle over finished bruschetta

Brush both sides of baguette with rosemary olive oil.

Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat. Place prepared baguettes on grill pan. Grill on each side for about 5 minutes to lightly grill. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, brush halved peach with rosemary olive oil on both sides. On the same heated grill pan, place both peach halves on the grill, cut side down. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board to cool.

Once peaches are cool, cut into thin slices. You should get about 20 to 24 slices.

Spread goat cheese onto each toasted baguette. Top each with two peach slices. Top each with basil chiffonade and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Fresh Peach Cake

It's peach season. What better way to enjoy the juicy goodness of this fab summer fruit than with a cake? A homemade one, natch!

Here, we have the Fresh Peach Cake recipe from Ina Garten. I followed the recipe exactly but omitted the nuts due to my food allergy.

Some reviewers on foodnetwork.com said the batter overflowed while baking. I did not have this problem, but perhaps it is because I did not use the nuts. I used an Pyrex glass baking dish.

Coffee cakes are great to make - especially for all of you non-bakers (gasp) out there. Probably the biggest challenge is peeling the peaches, but this is so worth the energy. Trust me! This is a good one to do with the kiddies: Layering the peaches and sprinkling the cinnamon sugar is always a ton of fun with little hands.

Enjoy!

Fresh Peach Cake

(Serves 8)

By Ina Garten

From “Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?”

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and pecans.

Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Please note: The Jersey Girl did not use pecans due to her food allergies.

How to Peel a Peach

1. Bring a pot of water to a roiling boil.

2. With a slotted spoon, drop in your peaches gently. 3. Cook in the rapidly boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Remove with slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water.

5. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off with your finger tips.

6. Pit the peach by splitting it open if you can. Remove the pit with your fingers or a spoon.