This No Bake Peach Delight brings the flavors of cheesecake and fresh summer peaches together into one easy no bake summer dessert!
One of the things I love about old Mennonite church cookbooks is the vagueness of the recipe titles. There’s Sweetheart Pudding, Friendship Bread, Strawberry Yum Yum, and Farmer’s Pride Loaf.
You might not know exactly what you’re getting with these old favorites, but you can be sure it will be delicious. The Mennonites know their way around a kitchen.
One of my favorite vaguely titled Mennonite recipes is this Peach Delight. It’s one in a collection of “delights,” including the more familiar Cherry Delight and the mysterious Italian Delight, which admittedly sounds like the recipe for a shady lunch your high school cafeteria served.
So what is it exactly that makes this dessert so delightful?
I’m so glad you asked. Peach Delight is made of three no-bake layers.
- The first is a simple graham cracker crust.
- The next, a cool, creamy cheesecake mousse,
- and the last a layer of fresh, juicy peaches covered in peach Jello.
The resulting bars are so colorful, with a brilliant fiery pink and orange topping that’ll remind you of a summer sunset. And the taste? Well, there’s a reason it’s called Peach Delight. The combination of peaches and cheesecake could bring a smile to the grumpiest face.
Like most Mennonite desserts, this one makes a large pan that’s perfect for sharing. I brought it to a church gathering, and it disappeared in no time. So go ahead and embrace the unknown and give this Peach Delight a chance. I promise it’ll be delicious.
Peach Delight
This Peach Delight brings the flavors of cheesecake and fresh summer peaches together into one easy no bake summer dessert!
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 Tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 3 ounce package peach jello
For the crust:
- 2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 12-13 whole grahams)
- 8 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed
- 5-6 peaches, sliced
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the water then bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking often, until it forms a thick gel-like consistency. Stir in the jello and continue to cook until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Combine the graham crackers, butter, and brown sugar in a bowl then press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the whipped topping. Spread the mixture over the graham cracker crust. Top with sliced peaches.
- Once the jello mixture has cooled to room temperature or is just barely warm, pour it over the peaches. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve cold.
I made this last night for a get together today. It was the ONLY home-made dessert and was very popular with the adults and kids. All the others were store bought baked goods. This was a really different dessert and a pleasant surprise for the diners. When I next make this for my family, I’m using a smaller pan so the cream cheese mousse layer is thicker and more luscious! This is a good heritage recipe. – from Long Island, NY
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
LOL – Here in Iowa, it is called Layered Peach Dessert … do the varied titles tell you anything about the type of people and area of the country making this delicious summer dessert! I’m making it at the moment, and it is one of our favorites, but husband is celiac so I use a gluten-free flour to make the shortbread crust and it comes out delightful! Nobody knows it’s gluten-free.
Thanks for the tip about making this gluten free! My mom has to be gluten free as well, so this is great to know!
I, too, was frantically looking for this recipe my MIL has made for years! With some really ripe peaches that needed using, this recipe is a keeper!
I make desserts for a local Cafe. This dessert has been requested for me to make.
Thanks for sharing this recipe Courtney! I misplaced this “delightful” recipe and was frantically looking online! Anyway here in Arkansas it’s also known as peach fluff! ?
Interesting! That’s good to know. I’m glad you found what you were looking for!
This is my favorite dessert. It is also great with strawberry jello and strawberries. I’m sure any fruit would be great.
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much! Thanks for coming here to let me know!
This is my favorite dessert. It can also be made with strawberry jello and strawberries. I’m sure other fruits would work too.
I was sold once you said cheesecake mousse. Everything else sounds just as delightful, this is definitely aptly named!
Peach delight. So aptly named. I love the vivid pink and orange colors on it. I love it even more that it’s no-bake and served cold.
Anything no bake sounds awesome right now…and the fact that this has three GLORIOUS LAYERS of no bake?! That’s just perfect.