Baked Sugar Cookie Peaches.

This. 

This is summer living.

I feel like I can be completely honest with you. Like maybe you won't judge me if I said I made these for breakfast.

... even if by the time I finished whisking, chilling, and eating cookie dough, slicing my finger on a peach pit, and shooting photos of warm, baked fruit covered in melty ice cream and caramel, it was time for lunch.

I'm going to get right into it. These are basically under-ripe peaches baked up into plump, juicy vehicles for buttery sugar cookies. 

There is nothing that I don't love about that sentence.

They're simple, rustic, and summery.

If you want to get right down to it, it's a mini peach cobbler for your face.

Andddd... this is as fancy as I get when it's summertown hot outside. Cut fruit. Bake cookies on top. 

I can't deal with piping frosting when it's hot. Or hovering over hot cakes to see if they're done. Don't even get me started on scooping out dozens of cookies or browning butter. I just want to sit, watch True Blood, and pretend I'm Sookie 16 again, with three months of freedom, beaches, sleepovers, toasted marshmallows, swimming, summer camp, and neon nail polish ahead of me. 

Oh well. Instead I'm stuck being an adult, wishing I was Sookie and eating cookies on my fruit for breakfast. I'll take it.

Baked Sugar Cookie Peaches

Printable Recipe

3 under-ripe peaches

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.  

Cut peaches in half vertically (stem facing up) and gently pry apart with your fingers. The original recipe wasn't joking... under-ripe peaches won't separate without a fight.

Use a spoon to remove the pit. Place halves cut-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for ten minutes. Remove from oven. 

Meanwhile, cream together the butter, sugar, egg white, vanilla, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder and flour. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until thoroughly incorporated, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Refrigerate dough for at least ten minutes.

Divide cookie dough into six equal parts. Roll into balls and flatten like pancakes for easier assembly. 

Place flattened dough on top of each peach half...

... and press down gently until the dough reaches the edges.

Bake for another 20 minutes, or until dough begins to turn golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm. And definitely with ice cream.

Source: Heather's Dish.