I always knew that I was a fan of the frozen dessert, but THIS. Two weeks ago this dessert happened and I immediately considered abandoning all of my life’s responsibilities & relationships and diving headfirst into a committed romance with this dessert.
Of course, I’m pretty sure I say this exact phrase about once a week, but I really mean it right now. I swear on my entire vintage collection of Disney animated VCR tapes. I mean of course I don’t REALLY because that collection is freakin’ awesome, but still.
The awesome thing about this Peach Crumble Frozen Delight is–well, how could I narrow it down to just one thing? For starters, I made this dessert completely in the dark.
Yep, it was 3 AM and I had a bad case of insomnia and, as luck would have it, my kitchen light had gone out the evening before and the repairman wasn’t slated to arrive until the following morning to fix it. So, as a relatively intelligent grad student who’s had 20+ years of schooling under my belt, what do I do next?
Hint: it’s not “get the living room lamp.”
I ended up whipping together the filling, baking the streusel, and layering up this entire frozen dessert with nothing more than the occasional light from my ajar refrigerator door–which, for the record, is not very much light at all. (Note to anyone looking to try this: hindsight is 20/20, and apparently knives are just as sharp when it’s light as when it’s dark. Be careful when you’re cutting your peaches–eeks!) It’s that easy. Oh, and remember that sugar-free challenge I’ve been doing with my friend this past month, with one cheat day a week? Well, that meant that by the time I finished this crazy bake/no-bake sesh at 5 AM, I hadn’t even tried said dessert.
So basically this dessert was made by a bat-blind grad student without taste buds.
And it still came out amazingly (don’t worry, I actually did try it the next day!).
The other amazing thing about this dessert is the amount of WOW factor it punches in, despite the level of ease with which it can be prepared. This thick, creamy layered dessert is chock full of textured goodies: an easy graham cracker crust, a crazy good brown sugar nut streusel, a delectable sweet peach sauce, and an ice cream-like layer of whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk, and cream cheese.
And since nobody can ever quite figure out what makes that creamy layer so delightful–it’s just a bit more awesome than actual ice cream–you’ll have fun explaining your culinary genius to them! You’re welcome!
Have you ever cooked/baked in the dark (or something equally crazy)?
Peach Crumble Frozen Delight
THIS dessert is the pinnacle of all frozen desserts! Filled with seven layers of graham cracker crust, sweet whipped frozen topping, crumbly streusel, and peach pie filling/sauce, this one is sure to wow your friends. And best of all, it's easy enough to make in the dark! (I know--I tried.)
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the peach pie filling:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
For the streusel:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or nut of your choice)
For the whipped frozen layer:
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
For the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Press lightly into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, until golden brown and set. Allow to cool completely.
For the peach pie filling:
- Combine water, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan, making sure that cornstarch dissolves completely in the liquid mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then heat for 3-4 minutes until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add vanilla and peaches, then heat for an additional 3-4 minutes while stirring constantly, until peaches are fairly tender.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
For the streusel:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together until a crumbly (or slightly wet) topping forms. Crumble in a thin layer onto a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
For the whipped frozen layer:
- While your peach pie filling cools and streusel bakes, beat together your cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth in a large mixing bowl (you can use the same one that you used for the streusel if it's fairly clean!). Fold in thawed whipped topping.
To assemble:
- Start with your finished graham cracker crust. Spread on half of your whipped frozen layer, then top with half of the streusel. Add half of the peach pie filling--you'll want to make sure you use half of the sauce here from the filling as well. Repeat layers of whipped frozen topping, streusel, and peach pie filling/sauce.
- Cover pan with foil and freeze for at least 6 hours before slicing and enjoying!
Late night baking is the best!! My favorite time to be in kitchen. This peach frozen delight is worth the 3am rise.
Oh yayy for fellow night owls! I’m surprised your hubby doesn’t mind :p I tried baking once at night at home, and my parents nearly flipped out!
Oh my god, Ala. I wake up to see this in my inbox, and I’m practically drooling. This looks so so so ahmaazing. I have to have a slice ASAP, or maybe I just need a fork and eat the whole thing myself. Plus, peaches!!!!
Yaaaas all the peaches, girl! I was just about to go and comment on your blog this morning, because right back atcha (DROOL). Whoo happy weekend to us!
I’m still craving peaches and won’t let go until I have to! I’d love to wake up to a slice to a slice of this beauty!
yes, I hear you completely, Deb! I’m not letting go either 🙂 guess Jack will just have to find his own door (sorry, poorly-executed Titanic reference, haha)
That’s hilarious! I have never cooked in the (near) dark before, but you look like you managed 🙂 It looks amazing!
hahaha my friends were so skeptical when they heard what I did–but one bite and they were convinced that it worked wonders! Maybe we should always cook in the dark, eh? Also, HI Cathleen!!
OHHH GOOOD GOLLY!!! I wanna abandon all of my life’s responsibilities & relationships and MARRY this dessert!!! So many delicious layers I cannot even think straight! My heart is a pitter pattering!!! Absolutely fantastic, Ala!
YAY Shashi!!! I’m all hands on deck if you find a way to legalize this proposition 😉 have a LOVELY week!
That’s what you got when you bake in the dark…yummy dessert! I mean who knew baking with minimum amount of light can bring something awesome for breakfast 🙂
haha I definitely did not know the dark could amplify my cooking skills this way 😛 go figure. Thanks, Linda~!! It’s so foggy in SF these days, I hear!
Ahem, I might have a collection of old school Disney VHS movies. Let’s be friends forever and bring this dessert while we watch some of said films.
uhhhh YAS please. Little Mermaid, anyone? <3 <3 <3 I wanna be part of your worlllllld!
This looks so freaking good! I can’t get enough peaches right now, so I need this.