Dessert [dih-zurt] (noun): my favorite meal of the day.
That used to be true — I was a sugar addict. As soon as a meal ended I wanted something sweet: cookies, brownies, chocolate, ice cream. If it was sugary, I needed it.
Then I met my boyfriend, who isn’t a fan of sweets. It felt strange at first. Going out to eat became a little awkward: do I skip dessert, or order one and eat it all myself? Eventually I started skipping the usual heavy desserts, and now I rarely crave them. Strange, but true.
Still, some nights I want a dessert-like finish that isn’t overloaded with calories. I often pop a few grapes and call it good, but sometimes grapes don’t cut it. Recently I saw a roasted fruit recipe on the Cooking Channel (Kelsey’s Essentials) and decided to try it — roasted stone fruit.
It turned out even better than I expected. The roasted plums and peaches taste like pie: rich and indulgent, yet light and low in calories. My boyfriend mistook it for a crumble, but it’s simply roasted fruit — only 85 calories for two halves. Delightful and surprisingly satisfying.
ROASTED PLUMS AND PEACHES
85 calories for 2 halves
2 SP for 2 halves
I enjoy simple recipes, and this one is quick yet impressive. You can roast almost any stone fruit — plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots — or even pears and mango. I used three plums and three peaches for this batch.
To prepare the fruit, slice each one lengthwise and remove the pits. Place the halves in a bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the juice of one orange until evenly coated. In a small bowl combine 1/8 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
Arrange the fruit, skin-side down, in a lightly greased baking dish and drizzle any remaining orange juice over the top. Cut 1 tablespoon unsalted butter into small pieces and place one piece on each fruit half. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the fruit.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20–40 minutes, depending on how ripe the fruit is, until the pieces are tender and beginning to caramelize. Serve warm — with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of fat-free cool whip if you like. It really does taste like pie without the heaviness.
Recipe Card
Roasted Plums and Peaches
- Author: Cuts and Crumbles
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 12 halves of fruit
- Category: Dessert
Description
An indulgent dessert that tastes like pie but contains only 85 calories per serving (2 fruit halves). Perfect when you want something sweet but light.
Ingredients
- 3 plums
- 3 peaches
- Juice from 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Slice plums and peaches lengthwise and remove the pits.
- Place the fruit in a large bowl and add vanilla and orange juice. Toss to coat.
- In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.
- Arrange fruit, skin-side down, in a greased baking dish and drizzle any leftover juice over them.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and place one pad on each fruit half.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the fruit.
- Bake 20–40 minutes, depending on ripeness, until fruit is tender and slightly caramelized.
- Serve warm. Top with ice cream or a dollop of fat-free cool whip if desired (additional calories not included).
Notes
2 SP for 2 halves. Use a variety of stone fruit — peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines — or try pears or mango for a different flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 fruit halves
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 14.9 g
- Sodium: 0.4 mg
- Fat: 2.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.6 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 5.1 mg
Recipe adapted from Kelsey’s Essentials on the Cooking Channel.
What did you think? Did this recipe make the cut or did it crumble? I’d love to hear your thoughts and any changes you’d try. 