Easy Cinnamon Sugar Oven Roasted Peaches

When yellow peaches are in season, and I’m craving a simple, sweet dessert, this is what I make. Soft, caramelised, roasted peaches with cinnamon sugar, best served warm with a big dollop of ice cream on top!

Roasting peaches brings out everything good about them. The sweetness deepens and intensifies, the juices thicken, and the edges caramelise just enough to make you want to pick and eat them straight off the baking tray. Add a little cinnamon, a vanilla bean, and suddenly a bowl of ripe peaches becomes a simple dessert without much effort at all.

This is the recipe to make when you’re just craving a little something on a summer night for dessert, but can’t be bothered to put in the time!

A Little Backstory

I grew up on canned peaches and ice cream for dessert. They were a Saturday night treat in our house! In fact, I’m sure if I asked my mum, she’d tell me that she and Dad still eat them whenever they’re looking for a little dessert after dinner. It’s so nostalgic to me. As such, during the peak Summer months, when the grocer is full of all the Summer fruits, I love getting a kilo of fresh, ripe, yellow peaches and roasting them, if only to have them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

If you love simple fruit desserts like my Strawberry Cobbler, this one sits firmly in the same camp. Minimal effort. Maximum comfort.

Why Roasting Fresh Peaches Works So Well

They caramelise like a dream. You get sticky, golden edges and soft centres that hold their shape but melt when you bite into them. Roast peaches are also wonderfully forgiving. Slightly underripe fruit softens beautifully. Very ripe peaches turn jammy and rich. Either way, the oven does all the hard work.

If you’re someone who says “I don’t bake”, this is now your go-to dessert. Dress it up with a scoop of ice cream and top with some roasted nuts, and BAM, you’re good to go!

Ingredients

• fresh peaches, de-stoned and cut into eighths
• brown sugar
• white sugar
• vanilla bean, scraped of seeds
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg

That’s it. Six simple ingredients, and the peaches do most of the work. Winner!

Variations

• Swap cinnamon for cardamom or ginger
  
• A little orange or lemon zest
  
• A splash of bourbon, brandy, or maple syrup
  
• Try a different stonefruit. Nectarines or apricots work beautifully too! You could even do this with pears and apples!

A Few Simple Steps…

1. Preheat the oven.
2. Prepare the peaches.
3. Add the sugar and spices.
4. Toss gently until the peaches are coated.
5. Pop the tray into the oven and roast until softened.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to rest.

Equipment 

To get started, you’ll need only a few simple kitchen utensils. A large mixing bowl, a small paring knife to cut up the peaches, measuring tools, and either a roasting tray or a large cast iron skillet, linen with parchment paper. And that’s it!

Let’s Serve Them Up!

These roasted peaches are best served warm, straight from the dish. They’re lovely with:

• Vanilla ice cream melting into the syrup
  
• A dollop of thick double cream, or custard. Double points if it’s a homemade Creme Anglaise – I drool just thinking about this!
  
• Start the day with some baked peaches, a scoop of muesli, and a dollop of Greek yogurt on top! 
  
• With your morning porridge or oats
  
• On top of pancakes or waffles – don’t forget the maple syrup.
  
• Or use them in a baked dessert. I make a recipe I call “peaches and cream,” which is peaches baked into a spongy base in my small Dutch oven, and then topped with a simple baked custard. I’ll be sharing my recipe for this in the next few weeks, so stay tuned! 

They’re also surprisingly good cold the next day, spooned straight from the fridge, so don’t be afraid to make a batch and find ways to eat them over a couple of days.