Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal

 I've been busy editing my cowboy romance and prepping my middle grade historical novel for a fall publication, but then my sister arrived with two flats of peaches! Heather lives in Alamogordo, some 200 miles south of me, and her spring starts nearly a month before mine does. Her summer lingers well after I've gotten my first frost, too. It's paradise for sunbirds and for gardeners, as long as they don't mind the heat!

Two flats of peaches aren't going to just sit around on my counter as I write, so I took a break before the fruit flies invaded. I've now got five bags of peaches in the freezer, we've had fresh peaches for breakfast, lunch and dinner the last couple of days, and I've made a peach cobbler, a peach upside down cake, two peach pies, seven jars of jam, and I've tried one new recipe: a breakfast dish that can be served room temperature or warm from the oven. It was so good that I decided to share it with you. 

Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal tastes like it should be dessert, and I guess it could be if served with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream. But it's pretty healthy, fairly low in sugar and fat, so why not enjoy it at breakfast time? I made it in advance, so that I could eat it right after coming home from the pool, where I swim a mile during the 6 am session. 

Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal

• 1 1/4 cup nonfat milk, plus 1 TBS, divided
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 TBS, divided
• 1 egg
• 2 TBS butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup peeled and diced fresh peaches
• 4 oz. nonfat cream cheese, softened
• 3 TBS peach jam

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat an 8" baking dish with cooking spray.

Whisk 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Add the peaches, baking powder, salt and stir well. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and let stand for 15 minutes to let the oatmeal soak in the milk a bit. 

Combine cream cheese, 1 TBS milk, 1 TBS sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and beat together until smooth and creamy. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the oat mixture using a tablespoon. Place a spoonful of peach jam into the places that are not covered with cream cheese. Cut through the mixture several times to mix slightly, creating a marbled effect.

Bake until very lightly browned and set, 30-35 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.