Spiced Peach Pop Tarts with Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel

Memorial Day is over, and summer is officially upon us.  This means that I turn into the crazy peach lady at Trader Joe's, buying 2--sometimes 3--flats of their juicy California peaches at a time.

Three whole flats of peaches?  Yes.  Trust me, I have no problem finishing them, without the help of Gigi or Eric:

I put them into my morning smoothie, which I prefer on the thick side with LOTS of ice, so that it resembles a milkshake and is best eaten a spoon.   Once, I accidentally dropped a peach pit into the blender, which proved to be no match for the powerhouse that is my Vitamix (if you love to blend things as often as I do, then this is your machine.)

I halve peaches, brush them with olive oil, and grill them for salads, like this gorgeous one I created, last summer.  If you've never grilled fruit, give it try.  Grilling adds complexity to both the flavor and the texture of fruit, caramelizing its surface and intensifying its natural sweetness.

Peaches also pair beautifully with various cheeses, from tangy gorgonzola and goat cheese to nutty melted Gruyere.  One of my favorite peach-cheese partnerships occurred when I made these Brie and Spiced Peach Strudels, which bake up crisp on the outside, thanks to buttery and flaky phyllo dough.  I'll make a batch and freeze them, assembled but unbaked, so that I can have one whenever the craving strikes (which conveniently happens every night, until they are gone.)

I'll swap out blueberries for peaches in my famous crumb cake, churn them into ice cream, bake them in cast iron on the grill, and even turn them into the quintessential outdoor summer dessert: s'mores.

And yes, on occasion, I'll simply eat the peach as it is.

I hadn't made any homemade pop tarts in a while, a recipe that I originally created for my mini-pie cookbook (where they were called "pocket pies.")  So, I decided to try a version inspired by peach cobbler, something that we often had for dessert during the summer when I was growing up.  If you can't decide between pie and cobbler, this is your dream treat.  It has a filling enclosed by a flaky crust, but the top is sprinkled with nutty cinnamon-streusel.  Bonus: It's also drizzled with glaze.

I think that these are best served as dessert, but I might have had a few bites for breakfast, too.  You know it's going to be a good day when it starts with peaches, pie crust and streusel.

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