Peach Mini Tarts

These tarts are a perfect dessert for summer parties. Sweet fruit in a tender crust. Fun to take to your next summer party, picnic or cookout.
I used homemade peach pie filling. You can use store bought pie filling, but I include the recipe at the bottom of the post. The recipe makes just over 2 cups of filling. I had some crust left over. I made the crust with butter this time, but have used other options listed in the recipe. To make them vegan you can use coconut oil, but be prepared for a crust that is a little crumbly.
I made 24 and used a little over half of the dough recipe. Had I rolled them out a little thinner, half a recipe would be enough.
Peach Mini Tarts
dough for 1 pie crust
About 2 cups peach pie filling, room temp or chilled
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, chilled – you could use coconut oil, chilled, lard or shortening
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt in food processor and add coconut oil. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in vinegar and water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing as you add, until dough just holds together. Remove from processor and press dough together to form a ball. Chill at least 30 minutes before using. Makes enough for 2 pie crusts or up to 48 tarts.
Peach Pie Filling
3 cups diced peaches
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. water
3 T. cornstarch
2 t. cinnamon
Heat peaches and sugar in a saucepan until bubbly. Stir to prevent sticking. Combine water and cornstarch and add to the peach mixture. Heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the cinnamon, too. If the mixture is too thin, add a little more cornstarch and water. Sometimes the peaches are extra juicy.


Fresh Peach Cake

Fresh Peach Cake
If you need a quick dessert or even a nice addition for a brunch this cake is a great choice. It really is so easy to make. It can be served warm, but it’s good at room temp, too. It’s not too sweet, which I like.
This was a new recipe for me. I had tweaked an old recipe that used blueberries. I was very happy with how this worked out. I wanted about 1 1/2 cups of chopped fruit. I had 2 very large peaches and that worked out great. You might need a third or even fourth peach if yours are smaller.
Next, I want to try this recipe with plums!!
Fresh Peach Cake
Batter:
2 c. biscuit mix*
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
2 T. oil
1 egg
1 1/2 c. chopped fresh pitted and peeled peaches
Topping:
1/2 stick ( 1/4 cup) cold butter, cut in small cubes
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9×9-inch pan. Beat all batter ingredients together, except peaches, for about 30 seconds. Fold in fruit and pour into prepared pan. Place topping ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your fingers or a fork until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on the cake batter in the pan. Bake for about 35 minutes. Cake should be golden brown on top and test clean with a toothpick. Serve warm or at room temp. Great with ice cream or whipped cream.
*Like Bisquick or Jiffy mix. I make my own. Recipe follows.
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening*
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can use butter instead, but keep mix in fridge and use in a couple of months. You can also use coconut oil- also best to keep this version in the fridge.

Right out of the oven.
Peach Cheesecake Squares

I love peaches and I love cheesecake. Never thought to combine them before. Wow, what a great dessert!! With peaches in season, it seemed like the perfect time to make it.
This recipe was inspired by a post I saw about a place that makes peach cheesecakes. I decided to make a less traditional cheesecake. I used a 9×13 baking dish instead of a springform pan. I also ended up making the cheesecake in layers. Let me explain.
I baked the crust a little, then added the cheesecake layer to bake. I was trying to figure out the best way to add the peaches. I decided to put them on after the cheesecake was baked, so I cooked them while the crust and cheesecake layers were baking. The crumb topping was an afterthought. I wanted some texture and just put that together at the end.
The result was a really good dessert. Enough peaches. Light and rich at the same time. I will most definitely make it again.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!!
Peach Cheesecake Squares
Crust
¾ c. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1¼ c. flour
1 c. oatmeal, old-fashioned or quick cooking
2 t. cinnamon
¼ t. salt
Cheesecake Layer
2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
¾ c. sugar
2 T. flour
2 eggs
2 T. vanilla
2 t. cinnamon
Peach Layer
5-6 peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped, about 5 cups prepared fruit
2/3 c. sugar, or a little less
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. cinnamon
4 T. cold water
2 T. cornstarch
Crumble Topping
1½ c. rolled oats
½ c. butter
¼ c. brown sugar
3 T. flour
2 t. cinnamon
Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Beat together butter and brown sugar, then stir in the rest of crust ingredients. Mixture will be crumbly. Press into bottom of prepared pan and bake 20 minutes. While crust is baking, prepare cheesecake layer. Beat cream cheese sugar and flour until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until set. While filling is baking, prep peaches. Combine peaches with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peaches are softened. Stir off and on to keep mixture from sticking. Combine cold water and cornstarch. Stir until smooth and pour into peach mixture. Mixture will thicken up. Stir until mixture returns to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. Prepare crumble topping. Mix all ingredients with your fingers until well blended. Place on a baking sheet and place in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. You can do this while the cheesecake is baking, to save time. Let the cheesecake cool a few minutes. Then spoon over the peaches. Spread evenly and let it cool for 30 minutes. Spread the crumble mixture over the peaches. Cool then chill. Store covered in fridge. Serves 12. Can be frozen.






