Perfectly sweetened and wonderfully spiced jam with just a hint of cinnamon, Homemade Peach Jam has been a staple in our home for about 15 years.

Every year, I wait until we can order peaches by the case. Then I roll up my sleeves and set to work making and canning a year’s worth of delicious jam.

Several years ago, about the time I started this website, the summer’s peaches were very late getting to our area. They finally arrived the day before I was headed out of town. I was looking forward to making jam just as soon as they were at the perfect stage of ripeness.

I glanced around at all my wonderful peaches and panicked because I knew they were going to be way past perfect by the time I returned home. I was on my way to being disappointed; when Sean very casually told me that he’d take care of it.

Now, I admit that jam making is not difficult. It is actually quite easy. However, it can also be time-consuming (especially, when you are not familiar with it all) and it is not a simple thing to accomplish with three small children running through the house all weekend.

I assured him that he shouldn’t worry about it, but if he really wanted to do it, I would set out the recipe and the jars for him.

Well, I came home a couple of days later to 24 jars of peach jam. Perfectly sweetened and wonderfully spiced jam with just a hint of cinnamon.

Did Sean really want to spend his time making jam this past weekend? That’s doubtful. But he did it to make my life easier and that makes every bite of this delicious jam taste even more delicious.

When I first posted this recipe on the site in 2011, it was just the photo of those jam jars. I’ve since updated the post with a video, and plenty of step-by-step photos. I hope it’s helpful to you in your jam-making endeavors.

Peach Jam

Store-bought jams and preserves just can’t compare with the taste of the homemade stuff and this peach jam is no exception.

Nothing says “summer” like biting into a fresh, sweet, juicy peach at the perfect stage of ripeness. This jam manages to capture all that spectacular warm weather flavor in a jar for eating any time of the year.

Peach Jam jam is phenomenal on all kinds of breads, muffins, and scones.

Toast a slice of Read more

Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars

These peaches and cream crumble bars are the best dessert I’ve ever had with peaches. That creamy filling and brown sugar oat topping!!

I don’t think we even need to talk about these peaches n cream crumble bars. Let’s just sit and stare at them. My good gracious they are good. That buttery crust and topping is everything. It’s a little chewy, crisp, sweet and salty. You could eat it lone and be totally satisfied. But why would you settle for that when you could take it to the next level?

Let’s add a little cream cheese gloriousness in there with fresh, juicy, sweet, golden peaches. That filling is so sweet, rich, creamy and wonderful. You really don’t even understand how much I love these bars. The crumble is perfect for such a lovely filling. And I actually really needed something delicious to take my mind off of something horrible.

And by horrible I mean annoying. I’ve been bit by mosquitoes before, but this time is just crazy. Yes, we are talking about mosquito bites. Haha, I know!! Doesn’t it seem so lame? But truly, they are driving me nuts! The mosquitoes at our new rental house are insane. I have 13, 13 you guys! I got 13 bites in jut 30 minutes the other night playing soccer with my son. So ridiculous.

And they just keep getting worse. The bites are ginormous, as in red and swollen bigger than a golf ball, and the itchiest sons of guns ever. I cannot even explain it! And 3 of them are starting to bruise. Dude, what will make them go away?! See, I did need a little dessert to take my mind off of the itch!

Ingredients for Peaches and Cream Bars

You will need a few basic pantry ingredients to make the crust and crumble topping. Then you need just a few ingredients to sweeten and thicken up the peaches and make the rich and creamy filling. Here is what you will need:

Cream Filling: Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar, Egg, and Vanilla

Peaches: Brown Sugar and Cornstarch

Crumble: Salt, Flour, Cinnamon, Quick Oats, Baking Soda, Unsalted Butter, Brown Sugar

You can find the exact measurements of each ingredient and the detailed instructions for making the bars in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can also print or save the recipe from there.

What are the Best Peaches for Baking?

You want to find freestone peaches because they are sweeter and easier to work with. For a list of my favorite freestone peaches, head to our peach cobbler post!

Will Peaches Ripen After They Have Been Picked?

Peaches, like apples, pears, avocados and tomatoes (among other fruits), can ripen after being picked.

The easiest method to ripen peaches is simply to leave peaches on the counter. If you want to speed things up, pop the peaches in a paper bag.

It will contain the ethylene gas the fruit gives off, which hastens the ripening process.

Should the Peaches Be Peeled?

You don’t have to peel the peaches, but my family prefers them peeled in most dess

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Holy, hot humidity, Ohio, I still love ya, but the rain sure has kicked the humidity up to “It’s time to give up and wear braids” levels over here. I sure am looking forward to some cooler temperatures next week! 

It’s going to be salad, salad, and more salads on repeat over here for a while. If you’d like some fresh salad inspiration, check out the post I wrote a few years ago, “How To Eat a Salad Every Day – and enjoy it.” I still eat these salads for lunch pretty much every day. And yes, I still love Fritos on my salads.

ON THE BLOGS this week: My family scrapes the pan clean every time I make this chicken and broccoli stir fry. Chicken is sauteed along with crisp broccoli florets before being tossed in the easiest (and tastiest) stir fry sauce, crafted from soy sauce, chili paste, and brown sugar.

Bright yellow turmeric rice with butter and green peas is a colorful and tasty side dish for Chicken Tikka Masala, or pretty much any other stir-fry dinner.

Fresh zucchini are hollowed out and filled with a savory saucy mixture of sausage, bell peppers, and onions before being topped with cheese and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. The sausage stuffed zucchini boats are baked to cheesy perfection and served warm for a winning dinner all summer long.

Broiled Tomatoes are quite literally the perfect bite of summer. Salty and a little bit nutty from the cheese paired with the slightly sun-sweet tomato.

Crisp cabbage intertwines with the juicy sweetness of fresh apples, while the tangy burst of dried cranberries adds a delightful twist to this simple apple coleslaw.

Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling tastes so much better than store-bought! And best of all, it’s super easy to make. Use this awesome berry sauce to top pies, cheesecakes, pancakes, or waffles. It’s delicious on ice cream too.

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake is an easy summer dessert recipe, perfect for casual weeknights or potlucks with friends. Are you a fan of the classic Cherry Cheesecake dessert? If so, you’re going to love this blueberry version!

Creamy, rich, chocolate cherry ice cream studded with bits of roasted cherries is a dream come true for anyone who loves both fresh sweet cherries and chocolate.

Hello hello! Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a wonderful week. What are you up to this weekend? We were originally planning on a short getaway to San Diego but both kids are still a little traveled-out and requested to stay home and chill. (Liv is also still working away on her summer packet.) It will be nice to swim and catch up with friends before we’re back in the school hustle.

Other than that, I’m getting a much-needed pedicure (bless), catching up on work stuff, and taking a hot yoga class. I hope you have a fun and lovely weekend ahead!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Friday Faves 7.28

Read, watch, listen:

Liv and I have been watching High School Musical, The Musical: The Series on Disney+ and it’s SO.good. We’re heading into Season 3 so we can be caught up when the new season is released. The songs, humor, plot lines, it’s all adorable. I’ve loved watching it with her.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s podcast episode here!

I had a Kindle maybe 10 years ago and it got old and broke, so I’d gone back to reading paper books and digital books on my phone or the iPad. I decided to order a new one for Prime Day and am so pumped about it. I love the smaller size of the Paperwhite, like a giant iPhone, minus the distractions of my phone, email, and social media. What should I download first??

Fashion + beauty:

Ok, so these aren’t exactly *fashion* (more function!) but I got P a pair of vivobarefoot shoes and they are SO cute. They fit her feet perfectly, she doesn’t have to worry about tying them, and she said they make her run fast (the ultimate kid test).

Since I’ve recently had to toss my skincare and makeup twice – give me like 6 months of happy eyes and then I’ll go back to my usual stuff – I’ve been switching things up and

Creamy, rich, chocolate cherry ice cream studded with bits of roasted cherries is a dream come true for anyone who loves both fresh sweet cherries and chocolate.

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

This was one of the very best ice creams I made in the first few years when I first started making homemade ice cream. And it has been in my ice cream-making rotation for almost ten years now.

Now that cherries are finally back in season, I’ll be making cherry ice cream every chance I get until the cherries are gone.

Roasted Cherries

Wondering how to roast cherries? It’s easy! Start by preheating the oven to 425°F. Line a baking pan with parchment and then wash and pit the cherries.

Slice the cherries in half and spread them across the baking pan. Roast for 20 minutes, until the cherries start to release their juices.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sugar to help the cherries release more of their juices. Stir and chill until needed.

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