Baked Cinnamon Sugar Peaches

Sweet, juicy peaches roasted until tender and caramelized in a warm cinnamon sugar butter glaze that pools in every golden, fragrant cavity — a breathtakingly simple, stunning dessert that tastes like pure summer and comes together in under 30 minutes with barely any effort at all.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large ripe peaches, halved and pitted
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 0.25 teaspoons nutmeg
• 0.25 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
• fresh mint, for garnish (optional)
• flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)

STEPS

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.
2. Make the cinnamon sugar butter: In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt until smooth and well combined into a fragrant, glossy glaze.
3. Prep the peaches: Halve the peaches and remove the pits. If the peaches do not sit flat, slice a very thin sliver off the rounded bottom of each half to level them — this prevents them from tipping and spilling the glaze during baking.
4. Glaze the peaches: Place the peach halves cut-side up in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the cinnamon sugar butter generously into the cavity of each peach half, letting it pool in the center and run slightly over the edges. Use all of the glaze — do not hold back.
5. Bake: Bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes until the peaches are completely tender when pierced with a fork, the edges are slightly wrinkled, and the glaze in the cavities is bubbling, deeply caramelized, and fragrant. The caramelization around the edges of each peach is what gives this simple dessert its extraordinary depth of flavor.
6. Rest briefly: Let the peaches rest for 3–5 minutes after coming out of the oven — they will be extremely hot and the caramelized glaze needs a moment to thicken slightly before serving.
7. Serve: Place two peach halves on each plate and spoon any caramelized pan juices generously over the top. Add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside or a cloud of whipped cream on top. Finish with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt and fresh mint if desired. Serve immediately while warm.

NOTES Tips: Ripe but still slightly firm peaches are ideal — overripe peaches turn mushy in the oven while underripe ones remain tough and lack sweetness. The peach should give slightly when pressed but still hold its shape. Freestone peaches are the easiest to halve and pit cleanly — clingstone varieties require a little more effort but taste equally wonderful. Leveling the bottom of each peach half so it sits flat is worth the extra 10 seconds — tipping peaches spill all their glaze and caramelized juices into the pan rather than keeping them pooled in the cavity where they belong. The pan juices that caramelize around the peaches during baking are pure liquid gold — spoon every last drop over the peaches when serving. Brown sugar gives a deeper, more complex caramel flavor than granulated sugar alone — using both gives the best result. These peaches are best eaten warm and fresh on the day they are made but keep refrigerated for up to 2 days — reheat in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes before serving.