Every year around this time we get loads of requests for Peach Cobbler. And after some questioning, people always explain that they like their peach cobbler with a crispy crumbly topping (as opposed to a cakey style biscuit one). So I gather that in reality, most of the requests coming in are for Peach Crisp and not Peach Cobbler. Which is great for me, because I’m a crisp girl myself. In fact, I’d say that’s one of my favorite (and most made) desserts in the summer and fall months, especially. With a good crumb topping, you can take just about any fruit and create a rustic dessert that’s very open to interpretation and adaptation and tastes heavenly piled on top of a cool bowl of ice cream. This time of year, you can usually find peaches in abundance, and for a great price. In my local stores right now, the peaches are much less expensive than apples!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Filling
- Ripe, but firm peaches – Fresh peaches, please!
- Granulated sugar – You’ll see this recipe calls for a very small amount of sugar; just enough to heighten the flavor of the natural fruit-letting those peaches be the star of the show. This recipe combats the soupy juice problem in many peach crisp recipes by macerating the peaches first. Just like you toss strawberries with sugar to create the sweet syrupy sauce for strawberry shortcake, tossing peaches with sugar draws out their juices. That way we can use just what we need and leave out the rest, producing a crisp that’s not watery at all, but instead has a light sauce and holds together nicely.
- Cornstarch
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
Crumb Topping
- Old fashioned oats – Quick oats will work as well, but I prefer the rustic chewiness that old fashioned rolled oats provide.
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can.
- Cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
How to Make Fresh Peach Crisp
- Start by peeling those peaches. After pitting and slicing, toss them with a little sugar. Let the peaches sit in a bowl for about 30 minutes, giving them a gentle toss a few times during that process. You’ll see they leach out quite a bit of peach juice.
- Place the peaches in a colander over a large bowl and drain off all the juice. Mine produced about a cup and a half of juice! We’re only going to use 1/4 cup of those juices. You can use the rest in a smoothie or toss them down the drain. Or let your kid drink it right out of bowl.
- Mix the peach juice with a little corn starch, some fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss the peaches with that mixture and place it in a baking dish. I like to use a 9×9-ish pan, but anything close to that is fine. If you want to make this in a 9×13, I’d double or at least 1 1/2 the recipe as written.
- For the crumbly crisp topping, combine some oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Either cut in chunks of cold butter, or use a large-holed cheese grater to grate it right in. I know, it looks like shredded mozzarella. It’s not. I swear. Then use clean hands to crumble the mixture together so you have little pebbles of butter. Pour it right over the peach mixture and then bake the pan in the oven. I watch for the topping to become golden brown and toasted looking, and for some of the peach mixture to start bubbling through the edges.
- You’ll want to let it sit and cool off till it’s just warm. Fruit gets super hot when cooked, and besides burning your mouth, it will melt your ice cream if you serve it piping hot! When it’s just warm, spoon it over vanilla ice cream.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled peach crisp, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- You can reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. For larger portions, cover loosely with foil and warm at 350°F until heated through, about 10-20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure. It’s always going to be best straight from the oven, but feel free to make it ahead and reheat following the instructions in the Storing and Other Tips section above. You could also prep the peach filling and topping ahead of time. It’s probably best to store them separately in the refrigerator before baking so the topping doesn’t absorb the peach juice.
Yes. This recipe should work quite well with a good 1:1 gluten-free flour blend!
I recommend fresh peaches, as that’s what this recipe was designed for. However, if you’d like to try canned or frozen, feel free. For frozen peaches, I would thaw them first before following the recipe as written. For canned peaches, simply reserve some of the can juices to make your sauce.
Fresh Peach Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 ½ lbs ripe but firm peaches 6-8, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 3/4″ wedges.
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch salt
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of ground nutmeg
Crumb Topping
- 1½ cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 6 tablespoons cold butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- For peach filling, gently combine peaches and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Drain peaches in a colander set over a large bowl, reserving the peach juices. Whisk ¼ cup of the drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl. (You can discard the rest of the excess peach juice or toss it in a smoothie!) Toss juice mixture with peaches and transfer to an 8 or 9 inch square pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Any size pan that’s close to that is fine, it doesn’t need to be exact. As long as it all fits, it’s good.
- For topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon and either grate the cold butter with a large-hole cheese grater, or cut it into small cubes and use your fingers to crumble the mixture together. Sprinkle topping evenly over pan.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. The topping should look golden brown and crisp, and I always watch for little bubbles of peach liquid to start popping though the outside corners. Let cool to luke warm before serving. Spoon over ice cream.
Notes
- Store cooled peach crisp, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- You can reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. For larger portions, cover loosely with foil and warm at 350°F until heated through, about 10-20 minutes.
Questions & Reviews
I just ordered 20 lbs. or peaches–thanks for these yummy ideas!
Yum! That looks good–and I need a dessert for Saturday night’s dinner! I froze quite a few peaches recently–would this work ok w/ frozen ones later in the winter when they’re not in season?
I made this last week and used peaches I had frozen earlier this summer. I simmered them in a saucepan with just a splash of water and the granulated sugar until they defrosted (but not letting them get mushy). Then I strained the juice out as directed in the recipe. Worked great!
I made this and it was a huge hit at our house. My hubby ate all the leftovers for breakfast this morning he liked it so much. Also, thanks for the tutorial on how to peel peaches, I was amazed with just how easy it was and how well it worked.
Sara and Kate,
Just wanted to send a long overdue thank you for your food inspiration. I have been tired of cooking but have had fun trying new recipes thanks to your blog and both cookbooks. My kids have enjoyed the change as well and have found some favorites as well.
Much Thanks!
Thank you for the sweet words, Tammy!
Mmm, I was wondering how soon you were going to post this. 🙂 It looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Oh you are so right. I do need this in my life. I’ve never made a peach anything before, so I think this would be a great place to start!
Perfect way to use up those last summer peaches!
This looks amaaaaazing!
I’m a peach cobbler girl myself, but I’ll have to give this a try; it looks like heaven in a bowl!
How did you know this is exactly what I needed? I just bought a box of peaches at the farmer’s market on Saturday and this is the ticket! I’m also excited to use some of my 25-pound bag of 6 grain rolled cereal instead of the plain rolled oats. Look at me multitask!
Duh. It makes so much sense to macerate the fruit and drain it. I’m glad you thought of that, since I didn’t!