Caramelized Peaches

Juicy caramelized peaches are a quick and easy dessert that's both dinner party fancy and Tuesday-night easy.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have too many peaches, I can't recommend caramelizing some of them highly enough. These skillet peaches are probably the easiest dessert you can make with fresh peaches. They also might just be the perfect ice cream topping- especially in the summer since it's hot and peach season! This dish is best served hot, but it would make a great bonus topping on these peach cobbler cinnamon rolls if you have leftovers and are on a peach kick.

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Why you'll love this recipe:

• Simple- there are just 6 ingredients in this dish, and that includes the pinch of salt!
• Fast- only about 5 minutes prep, and ready to eat in less than 20 minutes.
• Delicious- with buttery peaches cooked with sugar and spices, what's not to love?

Let's get started! Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

• Fresh peaches- while you can use canned in a pinch, I prefer fresh in this dish for the texture.
• Brown sugar- while you can use white sugar if that's what you have on hand, the molasses in brown sugar gives a deeper flavor. If you're trying to reduce processed sugar you could substitute maple syrup or honey for half the sugar.
• Lemon juice- I hadn't cut the lemon in the photo yet, but we're just using a wedge!
• Butter- 2 tablespoons is all we need here, but if you want to make these vegan or dairy free, you can substitue coconut oil. I used regular butter, if you are working with unsalted butter add another pinch of salt to your bowl.
• Salt- a pinch helps balance the sweetness.
• Cinnamon- goes well with most fruit dishes, and this is no exception.

Equipment:

This dessert is straightforward- all you'll need is a large skillet or frying pan, a paring knife (any non-serrated knife will work) and cutting board, mixing bowl, and a spatula.

How to make this delicious treat:

Step 1: Slice peaches

Go ahead and slice your peaches and toss them into a medium bowl. Depending on the size of yours and how thick you like them, you may go for more or less slices. I quarted my peaches and then sliced each quarter into thirds, so 12 peach slices per peach, or 36 slices total.

Step 2: Prepare your pan and peaches

Place your butter in your cast iron skillet and turn it on medium-high heat to melt the butter. Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients to your mixing bowl with the sliced peaches and stir until the fruit is well coated with your sugar and seasoning.

Step 3: Caramelize

Add the peaches to your now hot pan and spread them out into a single layer. If there's a little overlapping it will be okay, but you want to use every bit of your pans real estate. Let them cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. When cooking the butter should melt and your glaze reach a mild simmer- if it starts to boil aggressively reduce your burner from medium to low heat. Then work through the pan one side to another flipping them over, and let cook another 5 minutes.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy

Serve them hot, ideally over some vanilla ice cream, or under some fresh whipped cream! If you have leftovers they'll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

FAQs

More easy recipes you may like:

Looking for a decadent peach breakfast dish? Try these peach cobbler cinnamon rolls!

Perhaps cookies with some fruit flavor are more your taste- these lemon shortbread cookies are delicious, and these orange greek easter cookies are perfection with a cup of tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Let me know how you liked them below, and if you had them with traditional vanilla ice cream or served them on some delicious french toast.