Peaches have a special place in my heart. Daddy owned a farm in Sylvania, GA for many years. Mama referred to it as a “gentlemen’s farm” because they never intended to make a living from the farm, it was just something Daddy loved doing and Mama humored him. One of my favorite memories of the farm was the peach orchid Daddy planted. He experimented with several different varieties of peaches. My favorites were White peaches. The white flesh and unmistakable “peach” fragrance made them the best eating peaches especially picked right from the tree. My second favorite was the Alberta peach. A large, free stone peach, that has a beautiful deep peachy colored flesh, the Alberta peach is perfect for eating and unlike the delicate White peach, it is perfect to bake with too. When I make this recipe, I always use Alberta peaches.
Peach Crisp is one of my favorite summertime desserts. It’s easy to put together and the combination of sweet peaches and a crunchy topping makes for a delicious treat. Hot from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, oh my! Now I love my vanilla, but a friend turned me onto Jeni’s ice cream. Lo and behold, I found Jeni’s Sweet Cream, Biscuits and Peach Jam ice cream on the shelf and I had to give it go. The intesne peach and biscuit flavors create a winning combination for those of us who want the flavor and sweetness in overdrive. Not going to kid you, I eat it cold it the morning, too. It is the perfect breakfast dessert.
Peach Crisp Topping
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and butter an 8” or 9” square baking dish. Spray pan with a pan release such as Bakers Joy or Pam for Baking.
- In a medium bowl, soften butter in the microwave. Butter should be very soft, can be somewhat melted.
- To the butter add brown sugar, flour oats, pecans, cinnamon, and salt. Mix together with a spoon (or your hands) until well combined. Mixture will be crumbly.
- Set aside while you make the filling.
Peach Crisp Filling
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel the peaches and slice into 1/4” slices. Place into a large mixing bowl.
- To the peaches, add cornstarch, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well to evenly coat the peaches. *Taste a bit of a peach. If not sweet enough, add additional sugar to taste.
- Pour peach mixture into an 8” or 9” square baking pan that has been sprayed with a pan release such as Bakers Joy or Pam for Baking. Try to arrange peach slices into an even layer.
- Sprinkle topping mixture over the peach mixture, as evenly as you can. I find it best to do this with my fingers.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The topping will be golden brown and the filling will be bubbly.
- Allow to cool for slightly, before serving. Refrigerate any leftover peach crisp.
Notes
- No fresh peaches? No problem. Substitute frozen peaches (do not thaw), or canned peaches can be substituted. If using canned peaches buy peaches packed in their own juice and not the ones packed in syrup.
- Don’t want to peel the peaches? (a) Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. (b)Place peaches into the water and leave them there for about 30 seconds. (c) Use a slotted spoon to remove peaches and place in an ice-cold water bath. This stops the peaches from cooking. (d) Wait for a 1-2 minutes then remove the peaches from the ice water. (e) Gently rub the peach skin with your fingers. The skin should easily come away from the peach.
- Use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar. Either type of sugar will work equally well.
- Toast the pecans before you use them. Lay the nuts single file on a baking pan and toast in a preheated 350° oven for about 5-8 minutes. When you smell the wonderful nutty flavor coming from your oven, they are done. Allow the nuts to cool before chopping.
- I like the pecans coarsely chopped. Chop them finer if you prefer.
- Any leftover peach crisp can be warmed up in the microwave.
- Don’t forget the scoop of ice cream! It’s the perfect accompaniment and really takes this dessert to a whole other level.
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