Pesche Ripiene
Pesche Ripiene are baked peach halves stuffed with a rich mixture of amaretti, almond, cocoa, and dark chocolate. The peaches turn soft and fragrant in the oven while the filling becomes tender in the centre with a lightly crisp, biscuit-like top.
Ingredients
Peaches and baking base
- 2 large (about 360 g total)ripe but firm peaches
- 20 g, plus extra for greasingunsalted butter
- 15 gcaster sugar
Amaretti filling
- 60 gamaretti biscuits
- 25 g, finely choppeddark chocolate
- 15 gground almonds
- 1egg yolk
- 5 gunsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly grease a small baking dish with a little extra butter. Wash and dry the peaches.
- 2
Halve the peaches lengthwise and remove the stones. With a teaspoon, scoop out a little extra flesh from the centre of each half to create room for filling, taking care not to pierce the skins. Finely chop the scooped peach flesh.
- 3
Crush the amaretti into coarse crumbs. In a bowl, mix them with the chopped peach flesh, dark chocolate, ground almonds, egg yolk, cocoa powder, and 10 g of the caster sugar. Stir until the mixture is evenly combined and moist; it should hold together loosely when pressed.
- 4
Arrange the peach halves cut-side up in the prepared dish. Divide the filling among them, mounding it slightly. Dot the tops with the 20 g butter and sprinkle over the remaining 5 g caster sugar for better browning.
- 5
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the peaches are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and the filling is set, fragrant, and lightly crisp on top. If your peaches are very ripe, start checking at 15 minutes to avoid collapse.
- 6
Let the peaches rest for 5 minutes so the filling firms slightly and the juices settle. Serve warm, spooning any buttery peach juices from the dish over the top.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •Choose peaches that are fragrant but still firm; overly soft fruit can become mushy before the filling browns.
- •If you prefer, replace the dark chocolate with the same weight of chocolate chips for easier preparation.
- •These are excellent on their own or served with a spoonful of lightly whipped cream or vanilla gelato.
- •For a more pronounced almond aroma, a few drops of almond extract can be added to the filling, but it is optional.
Background
Pesche ripiene are a classic sweet from northern Italy, especially associated with Piedmont, where amaretti are often used in desserts and fillings. The dish reflects the Italian tradition of baking ripe summer fruit with nuts, biscuits, and chocolate to create something rustic yet elegant.
Love this recipe?
Get personalised AI-curated recipes, meal plans and smart shopping lists — free.
Download Gourmate – Free