PERFECT PEACH CRISP

Peach season is here in full swing, and I am so happy about it. My family and I go through a dozen a week and still can’t get enough! A couple weeks ago, I took my kids with me to pick peaches in Payson and we came home with a huge case! We made freezer jam with the majority, ate quite a few as they were, and made peach crisp with the rest. Heaven.

This peach crisp recipe is the best ever, if you ask me. It’s perfectly juicy without being too wet, the crumble topping has the most amazing crunch, and the flavors are DIVINE. I crave this dessert all year long! Serve with your favorite ice cream or some homemade whipped cream!

When it comes to peeling fresh peaches, you can use a regular peeler (assuming yours is decently sharp) or even slice off the peel with a knife, but you do lose a little of the actual peach that way. Another option is to place a few peaches at a time in some boiling water for about 30 seconds and then transfer them to ice water. The cold water will stop the peaches from cooking and you’ll be able to peel the skin off without a knife!

Perfect Peach Crisp
yields: 9×13 inch pan

Ingredients

For the peach filling:

• 12-14 fresh peaches, peeled, cored, and sliced about 3/4-inch thick

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 T lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• dash of salt

• 1 t cinnamon

• 1/4 cup fresh peach juice (reserved from your peaches—see instructions below)

For the crumble topping:

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup oats

• 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 t nutmeg

• Dash of salt

• 3/4 cup of cold butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Peel and slice peaches and place them in a colander over a medium-sized bowl.

2. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and toss to coat.

3. Let peaches sit for 20 minutes to allow the sugar to pull out some of the juices.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Meanwhile, assemble your crumble topping by combining all ingredients. Use a pastry blender/fork (or your hands) to incorporate butter. You want the texture to be combined and crumbly. I like to start with a pastry blender/fork and then use my hands to squeeze it all together and separate into large, crumbly chunks. Set in the fridge until ready to use.

6. Transfer drained peaches to a large bowl.

7. Measure out 1/4 cup of the drained peach juice and place it in a separate (smaller) bowl. *Note: If your peaches aren’t very juicy on their own, you can reserve 1/3 cup of the juice instead. My peaches are usually quite ripe when I make this, so I don’t need a ton of juice.

8. Add flour, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon to the peach juice and mix.

9. Pour mixture over your peaches and gently toss to coat. Note: If your peaches are VERY ripe/juicy, you can sprinkle an additional tablespoon or 2 of flour over the top of the peaches to keep the dessert from getting too runny while it bakes.

10. Place peaches in a 9×13-inch baking dish and gently sprinkle your crumble topping evenly over the top (I usually have about 1/4 cup of crumble leftover that I don’t sprinkle on top, but you can use your best judgement to decide how much you want to use).

11. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown, the juices are bubbling, and the top is set.

12. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving warm. We like to serve ours with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (blackberry ice cream is also delicious with it)!