I love a really good peach, and when I find really good peach, I like to buy more of them.  I like to store them away while they are at a good price to have any time of year.  I really dislike buying peaches only to get home and find out they are either too dry or to hard or don’t taste peachy enough (if you know what I mean).  I love biting into a really juicy and sweet peach; you know the kind you have to use a napkin to wipe away the juices as they run down your chin!  I do like canned peaches also, but my preference will always be a fresh peach over canned.

I used fresh peaches in this recipe instead of the canned the recipe calls for,  so I had to judge the amount of peaches to use in place of the canned peaches.  You can use fresh or frozen peaches in this recipe; either way it’s delicious and you won’t be disappointed in this recipe.

Happy Torte Baking!

Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup butter, melted

FILLING:

1 can (29-ounce) sliced peaches

1 and ¼ cups sugar (divided)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar; stir in butter.  Set aside ¼ cup for topping.  Press remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan.
2. Place pan on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.
3. Drain peaches, reserving syrup in a 2-cup measuring cup.  Add enough water to measure 1 and ½ cups.  In a large saucepan, combine ¼ cup sugar and cornstarch; stir in syrup mixture until smooth.  Add peaches.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth.  In a small bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form; fold into cream cheese mixture.
5. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over crust.  Top with half the peach mixture; repeat layers.  Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.  Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.  Remove sides of pan before slicing.

Recipe from “Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners” cookbook 2013