This luscious Peach Amaretti Pie is the best way to use up your ripest peaches. A homemade dessert is the perfect solution to fruit that is ripening too fast.
Us four ladies were sooooooooo excited to be going to the International Food Blogger Conference several years. We all live in South Orange County, so a trip up to Sacramento is easy.
Originally we thought about driving, I had all these big ideas about driving through the Central Valley and stopping at fruit stands and wineries.
California is, by far, the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the U.S. Did you know that California grows more peaches than all the other states combined? And the statistics are similar for many other vegetables and fruits.
So the thought of a leisurely drive north, stopping at produce stands and enjoying snacking on freshly picked fruits warmed by the sun was enticing.
But then reality set in, it would take at least one extra day, both ways; it's the middle of summer and the temperatures can be brutal (well into the 100s);...and we found reasonable flights! So the Fab 4 road trip will have to wait for another day!
Regardless of flying or driving, we ALWAYS have Gr8 Fun on our field trips. So stay tuned, there will be some Gr8 posts ahead sharing our experiences at IFBC.
In the meantime, all that talk about fresh summer fruits had my mouth watering and I had some peaches in my fridge that were on their way, "round the bend," as my sweet grandma used to say. A fruit dessert is the perfect solution to this situation.
Since I am on a summer kick to use up things in my pantry I decided to make a cookie crust with amaretti cookies (that weren't yet past their "use by" date). The almond flavor with the sweet peaches is perfection!
Be sure your peaches are ripe and tender for this Peach Amaretti Pie, because the fruit is not cooked. Use your most ripe (softest) fruits to crush for the glaze.
And guess what? This pie is gluten-free! Not by design...but it is! (Most amaretti cookies don't have gluten, just double check that the cookies you use are gluten-free if that is a concern.)
Edited from original publication July 2016.
Luscious Peach Amaretti Pie
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cookie Crust:
- 7 ounces amaretti cookies, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, if you have to use salted butter, omit the ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Directions for Cookie Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
- In the food processor or blender, process 6 ounces of the cookies until they are fine crumbs.
- Add the salt and pulse twice to incorporate.
- Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture is combined.
- Press the cookie mixture into the pie pan to cover the bottom and sides.
- Bake the cookie crust for 8-10 minutes just until starting to brown.
- Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.
Directions for the Pie Filling:
- Peel the 5 peaches and set aside. Here is a Gr8 video from King Arthur Flour showing how to easily peel your peaches, without a knife!
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat mix the 1 cup of crushed peaches, water, sugar and corn starch.
- Stir and cook until the glaze is no longer cloudy and the mixture has thickened to a glaze consistency, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the nutmeg and butter. Stir until the butter is melted.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla and lemon juice.
- Cut the whole peaches into ¼-inch thick slices.
- Lay a layer of slices in the cooled pie crust then spoon about ⅓ of the glaze over the peaches.
- Add another layer of peach slices and spoon another ⅓ of the glaze over.
- Then add the final layer and spoon the remaining glaze, filling in crevices and smoothing the top.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, crush the remaining ounce of amaretti cookies into coarse crumbs and sprinkle over the top.
- Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
- The crust can be made up to two days ahead of time. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
- The glaze can be made a day ahead of time, up through Step 5. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- The pie needs to be made at least 4 hours ahead of time to have time to chill so the glaze sets a bit.
Nutrition Information
Fresh ripe peaches, juicy and oozing with flavor; looking like a sunset and tasting like a summer day.
I received a discount on the registration fee for the conference in exchange for a few posts. No other compensation has been received.
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