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I love a good peach crisp! Peaches are one of the summer’s best fruit bounties. And you know, peaches even look like summer – with their blend of reds, oranges, and yellows. Here in my part of California, that’s what the hillsides and fields look like in summer.
I think my love of them and summer goes back to my grandparent’s small farm in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. As kids, my sister and I had extended summer stays there. And, it was fun and carefree.
We collected eggs in the morning, picked ripe fruits from the small orchard, ran around with their dog Comet, watched soap operas with our grandma in the afternoons, and had dessert every night.
Her lemon cake was my favorite dessert, but the peaches were my favorite fruit. And, my grandma often made peach crisp with them.
Fruit Crisp with Fresh Fruit
Fruit crisp is an ideal way to use up ripened summer fruits. And, it is a very forgiving recipe.
It’s easy to substitute the peaches with blueberries, nectarines, apricots, raspberries, strawberries, or a combination for a fruit crisp.
As a big peach fan, though, I love the crispy, slightly crunch topping, and soft, gooey, sweetness from this peach crisp dessert.
And, in the fall, I like making apple crisp, especially in the early months of the season.
Peach crisp is quick and easy. Though now that I’m a whiz at making biscuits, thanks to my 3 Ingredient Biscuits recipe, making Peach Cobbler is a snap.
How to Make Fresh Peach Crisp
This is such an easy dessert recipe that the prep takes less than 10 minutes. While is just long enough for your oven to pre-heat.
And, most of us have all the ingredients for the topping right in our pantry and fridge.
Clean and slice the peaches. I don’t remove the peach skins, though it’s fine if you do.
TFN Tip: Use your zester upside down, it catches all of the zest, making it easier to slide it right into the bowl.
Stir the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and corn starch together and mix with the peaches.
The lemon juice serves two purposes, to provide a little tartness to balance the sweetness, and to keep the peaches from browning.
Then, cut in the butter.
In the summer, I use a pastry cutter for this. Otherwise, it winds up being a hot mess.
You can use two knives or your fingers to crumble the butter, though. Whatever works best for you.
Stir in the oats and nuts (optional) and stir.
Add the peach mixture to your casserole dish.
Evenly spread the topping mixture on top, and put it in your preheated oven.
Cook until the topping is golden and it is lightly bubbling all over. That’s how you’ll know this peach dessert is done.
Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve peach crisp on its own, with a little cream, or over vanilla ice cream.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No matter what you do, peach crisp won’t remain crispy if it’s been resting on top of juicy cooked peaches for a while. Your baked peaches will naturally continue to release more juices as they sit, meaning the topping will eventually turn softer.
You can leave the skin on peaches for peach crisp. Since the skins on the sliced peaches will soften during baking anyway, they’ll be very tender once baked. But if you’d rather not have them in your peach crisp, or other peach recipes, it’s perfectly OK to peel the peaches first.
Does peach crisp need to be refrigerated? Yes, the leftovers should be stored and covered in the refrigerator. It will help keep the topping from getting too mushy.
Here’s the Fresh Peach Crisp Recipe
Peach Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 5 lbs peaches, cut into 1/2” wedges (about 5-6 large peaches)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
Topping
- 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cuo granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” pieces
- 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (optional, can substitute with oats)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place peaches in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar and corn starch. Add lemon juice and zest. Add to peaches and stir.
- In a medium bowl, add topping ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, smash the butter into crumb-sized pieces.
- Using a 3 qt. casserole dish, add peach filling, then cover with topping. Bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.
- Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Doesn’t it look delicious?! Try this for yourself and let me know what you think below in the comments.
summer dinner recipes to pair with your Peach Crisp
- Clam Chowder
- Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Chicken Piccata (ready in 30 minutes!)
Easy Summer Baking ReCipes
- Strawberry Cobbler (another easy dessert recipe!)
- Oatmeal Cookie + Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Easiest Biscuits Ever!