Peach Delight Recipe
Peach delight is a delightful summery layered dessert featuring fresh peaches, with a graham cracker crumb crust and a layer of cream cheese filling.
It's a crowd-pleasing favorite summer dessert. Made in a 9 x 13" dish, it's a great dessert to take along to a potluck or family gathering.
Fresh Peach Dessert
What kind of food do you think about when I say, "A taste of summer"?
I think about fresh summer peaches, watermelon, and sweet corn on the cob. I absolutely love all of these summer foods.
And every summer I make Amish peach delight. It's another family favorite!
We started a Friday evening tradition in our home of eating popcorn and dessert while watching movies together. And to be quite honest, my family of six can devour almost this whole peach dessert in one evening. We all love fresh peach delight!
And I actually made this dessert twice in the past week, because we had a bunch of fresh peaches, and my kids wanted more of this peach delight dessert.
Amish/Mennonite Family Gatherings
Years ago, my Amish family started a tradition of camping together every summer.
We used to tent camp on the home farm. My dad cleared out a nice spot in the woods and we'd spend a night or two camping out together. Some of us pulled out a sleeping bag and just slept under the stars.
We cooked over a fire, played games, and had some good quality time with each other. It was lots of fun!
My family has grown a lot over the years, and we're getting older so we don't enjoy tent camping as much as we once did. But the tradition of camping together lives on.
I live about a thousand miles from most of my family, so we don't always get to go with them.
But a few weeks ago we traveled to Pennsylvania to camp with my family. We rented a campground for the weekend and camped in style. The campground had a bunch of cabins for us to sleep in, but some of the younger ones did end up in tents.
There were over eighty of us there for the weekend, so it's quite a crowd of people to feed. But each family is responsible to help with one meal, so it's really not a big deal.
And Amish peach delight is a dessert that is often served for at least one of the meals. Of course, it takes several pans of this cream cheese peach delight to feed eighty people. But it is an easy-to-make and delicious peach dessert that transports very well.
Cream Cheese Peach Delight Recipe
It takes a little time to make peach delight because you need to make three layers. Although each layer does not take long to make. So it comes together fairly quickly.
You may want to start by cooking the top jello part first so that it has time to cool while you're making the other layers.
Mix water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Mix the clear jel with a bit of water to create a slurry. Slowly pour the clear jel into the hot water, stirring constantly.
Don't let it boil too rapidly, as it will splatter if you're not careful. Stir until slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat, add the peach jello, and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Peel and slice six or seven fresh peaches, and add these to the cooled jello mixture.
Meanwhile, crush the graham crackers to make crumbs. You can crush the crackers in a food processor or put the crackers in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Add brown sugar and melted butter. Mix well.
Spread into a 9 x 13" pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom to create a crust.
For the middle part: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Add heavy cream and beat until it is thick and creamy.
Now spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the crumb crust.
Spread the cooled sauce with peaches over the top of the cream cheese layer.
Cover and refrigerate for several hours to give the jello time to set. (Unless, of course, your kids can't wait that long to dive in, and they decide to eat it before the jello has set. 🙂 )
This is a very yummy no-bake peach dessert recipe with raw peaches.
And if you'd like to try another peach dessert recipe, try this Easy Peach Pandowdy Recipe.
Clear jel for a peach delight dessert recipe
I like to use clear jel to thicken any kind of fruit. It looks nicer than cornstarch. But in this recipe, you can replace the clear jel with cornstarch if you don't have any clear jel.
(You can usually find clear jel at Amish/Mennonite bulk food stores. But I am adding an affiliate link where you can buy it online in case you don't have any bulk food stores close by.)
More Amish Dessert Recipes you may want to try...
Strawberry Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Amish Pearl Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Shoofly Cake Recipe, Molasses Cake
Amish Pumpkin Custard Pie Recipe
Peach Delight Recipe
Ingredients
Top Peach Layer:
- 1 1/2 c. water
- 3/4 - 1 c. sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 4 Tbs. cook-type clear jel mixed with approx. 1/2 c. cold water
- 1 (3 oz.) pkg. peach jello, about 1/3 c.
- 6 -7 fresh sliced peaches
For the Crust:
- 2 c. crushed graham crackers, about 12 whole graham crackers
- 2 Tbs. brown sugar
- 8 Tbs. melted butter (1 stick)
For the middle layer:
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 - 2 c. heavy whipping cream (or a container of Cool Whip)
Instructions
For the peach glaze:
- In a saucepan, mix water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil.1 1/2 c. water, 3/4 - 1 c. sugar, 1/8 tsp. salt
- Mix the clear jel with about 1/2 c. water to create a slurry. Slowly add this to the boiling water/sugar mixture, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.4 Tbs. cook-type clear jel mixed with approx. 1/2 c. cold water
- Remove from the heat, add the jello, and stir until it is dissolved. Set aside to cool.1 (3 oz.) pkg. peach jello, about 1/3 c.
- Peel and slice six peaches and add these to your cooled sauce.6 -7 fresh sliced peaches
For the crust:
- Crush the graham crackers, add the brown sugar and melted butter. Press this crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13" dish.2 c. crushed graham crackers, about 12 whole graham crackers, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, 8 Tbs. melted butter (1 stick)
For the middle layer:
- Beat softened cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and mix well, scraping the bottom of the bowl.8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 1 1/2 - 2 c. heavy whipping cream (or a container of Cool Whip)
- Add heaving whipping cream and whip until it is thick and creamy. (Or stir in a container of thawed Cool Whip.)
To assemble the dessert:
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cracker crust.
- Spread the cooled jello sauce with peaches over the top of the cream cheese layer.
- Chill for several hours to allow the jello to set. Keep refrigerated.
Mini
Is clear jel the same as unflavored gelatin?
Anna
No, clear jel is more like cornstarch. But it has a better flavor and is clear. You can find it at most Amish or Mennonite bulk food stores. But you can also get it online.
Sherrie C.
Can frozen peaches be used?
Anna
I have never made this with frozen peaches. Peaches get a little more mushy after being frozen. I'm sure you could use them, but may have to add more clear jel to get it thick enough.
Debbie moody
Do you whip the heavy cream
Anna
Yes, you add the heavy cream to the beaten cream cheese and whip until it is thick. Or you can use Cool whip if desired.