Hairy Bikers Baked Peaches

Hairy Bikers baked peaches are honey-drizzled peach halves baked at 200°C, then topped with crushed amaretti and toasted almonds for a final 15 minutes. They serve 4 at 269 calories per serving and take about 35 minutes in total.

This comes from The Hairy Dieters (2012), where Si and Dave note that some peaches need “a little help” to taste their best. The honey and amaretti topping is that help. Si and Dave also add optional amaretto liqueur, then warn you not to forget the extra calories if you serve it with crème fraîche.

The two-stage bake is what makes these work. The peaches go in alone with honey first, which softens them and brings out their juice. The topping goes on after 10 minutes so the amaretti crumble crisps without burning.

Hairy Bikers Baked Peaches

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: Dessert, SnacksCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

269

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

A Hairy Dieters dessert from the first diet cookbook (2012), using just 25g of butter in the whole dish. Peach halves bake with honey first, then get a crunchy topping of crushed amaretti biscuits and dry-toasted almonds bound with melted butter. Optional amaretto liqueur drizzled over before the second bake.

Ingredients

• 4 peaches, cut in half and stones removed

• 4 tsp honey

• 2 tbsp chopped almonds

• 8 amaretti biscuits

• 25g butter, melted

• 8 tsp amaretto liqueur (optional)

Directions

• First bake: Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Put the peaches, cut side up, in an ovenproof dish or baking tray. Drizzle a teaspoon of honey over each peach half, then bake for 10 minutes.
• Make the topping: While the peaches bake, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat until very lightly golden. Crush the amaretti biscuits until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs and mix with the almonds. Pour over the melted butter and mix together.
• Second bake: Remove the peaches from the oven. Divide the topping between the peach halves and drizzle over the amaretto, if using. Bake for another 15 minutes until the peaches and topping are lightly browned.
• Serve: Spoon over any cooking juices from the dish. Serve with low-fat crème fraîche if you like, but as Si and Dave note, don’t forget to add the extra calories to your total.

Notes

• Calories: Peaches 4 (~234) + honey 28g (~85) + almonds 20g (~116) + amaretti 8 biscuits (~384) + butter 25g (~179) + amaretto 40ml (~80) = ~1,078 kcal ÷ 4 = 269 kcal per serving (including amaretto). Official site states 269 kcal. Used 269.

FAQs

Why bake the peaches in two stages?

The first 10 minutes softens the peaches and lets the honey melt into the cut surface, creating a sticky base for the topping. If you added the amaretti crumble from the start, it would burn before the peaches were tender.

The second 15 minutes crisps the topping while the peaches finish cooking underneath. You get soft, warm fruit under a crunchy almond and biscuit crust, which is the whole point of the dish. Combining both stages into one would sacrifice either the texture of the fruit or the crunch of the top.

Why toast the almonds in a dry pan?

Toasting brings out the natural oils in the almonds and deepens their flavour considerably. Raw almonds taste flat by comparison, especially next to the intense sweetness of the amaretti biscuits. It’s a small step that takes 2 minutes but makes the whole topping taste more complex.

Si and Dave say “very lightly toasted,” so keep them moving in the pan and take them off the heat before they go dark. Almonds continue to cook after you remove them, and burnt nuts taste bitter. Two minutes over a medium heat is usually enough.

Can I skip the amaretto?

Yes. Si and Dave list it as optional, and the 269-calorie count includes it. Without the liqueur, each serving drops to about 250 calories. The peaches still taste good because the honey and amaretti carry enough almond and caramel flavour on their own.

If you want warmth without the liqueur, stir a teaspoon of vanilla extract into the melted butter before mixing the crumble. The Hairy Bikers tiramisu uses amaretti too, paired with rum, if you want to compare the two approaches.

How do I choose the right peaches?

Si and Dave’s headnote hints that not all peaches are equal. Ripe peaches that give slightly when pressed are ideal because they soften fully in 25 minutes. Hard, unripe peaches need longer and won’t develop the same juicy sweetness.

If your peaches are slightly underripe, add 5 minutes to the first bake. Very firm peaches from the supermarket sometimes need 2 days on the worktop to ripen. The stone should twist out cleanly when you halve them; if it clings, the peach isn’t quite ready.

Can I use nectarines or apricots instead?

Nectarines work as a direct swap since they’re the same size and bake at the same rate. The skin is thinner, so you get a slightly different texture, but the topping tastes just as good.

Apricots are smaller, so halve the baking time for the first stage (5 minutes instead of 10). You’ll also need more of them to fill the dish. Six apricot halves per person gives roughly the same volume as two peach halves, though the calorie count will change slightly.

How do I serve leftovers?

Leftover baked peaches keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days, covered. Reheat in the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes to re-crisp the topping. The microwave warms them through but the amaretti crumble goes soft.

Cold leftovers are also good spooned over yoghurt or porridge the next morning. The cooking juices thicken into a light syrup overnight, which works as a ready-made sauce. The Hairy Bikers rice pudding would pair well with the leftover peach compote instead of the plum topping.