How To Make Peach Crisp

I had book club last night, and to me, book club is a funny thing, because unless it’s a cookbook, I rarely make the time to sit and read a book. I should. I have intentions to, which is why I joined book club, but I’ve yet to read the books that go along with the club. Maybe when it’s my turn to pick, I’ll pick my favorite cookbook and have everyone cook out of it and we’ll discuss that. Aha! I think I’m onto something there.

Anyways, back to how the peach crisp came to be, in place of my attendance at book club, I sent the peach crisp instead. Peaches are in abundance right now, and it’s nothing I would ever complain about. I love peaches. Peach cobbler, peach puree, peach syrup, frozen peaches, PEACHES ANYTHING. So, it was only fitting that we whipped up something peachy this time.

This is how to make easy peach crisp

This recipe is easy! I mean EASY. It’s great when your peaches are ripe, but not overly ripe (that’s when they head to the blender/food processor and are made into fruit leather), the natural sweetness shines through, but they are solid enough to hold their shape that looks beautiful after baking. The ingredients are simple, and most likely all in your kitchen right now. Make sure to use Old Fashioned Oats, not quick/instant oatmeal and unsalted butter. Lastly, make sure you have enough brown sugar, it’s a must! Brown sugar helps combine all the ingredients in the topping and helps it retain a golden brown deliciousness.

Last but not least, you must serve it with ice cream. If you don’t, it’s almost like a peanut butter sandwich without the jelly, they just go together and compliment each other perfectly. Serve it hot, and make sure to save a little for the next day, as it’s equally as amazing.

Directions:

12 large peaches

2 c. brown sugar, packed. This will be divided into peaches and topping

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats

1 c. unsalted butter, cubed

2 tsp. cinnamon, ground

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375

Wash peaches well. Cut each peach into halves, and take out pit. Cut each half into quarters, and cut again. I try getting 12 pieces from each of the 12 peaches, this seems to give the perfect bite size. Once they are all cut, place cut peaches in a large baking dish, 9×13 or larger, with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Pour the vanilla over the peaches and gently toss together. Let it all rest and get even more delicious.

Place flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, in a mixing bowl. Gently stir together to mix ingredients well. Cut the butter into cubes, and place in bowl with flour mixture. Mix butter in with a pastry blender or fork until the mix is a course meal.

Sprinkle the topping over the peaches, covering as evenly as possible. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crisp is light brown on top. Sometimes you may need to turn on the broiler for a moment to get that extra golden brown color, but don’t let it burn! The fruit will be bubbling inside, while the crust will be crunchy on top. Serve immediately with your favorite vanilla ice cream!