Fresh peach crisp made from juicy, ripe peaches is pure summer bliss. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the crunchy topping, and it goes right over the top. You can almost hear the angels singing.
This old-fashioned peach crisp recipe is perfection. The topping is buttery and crunchy, with just the right amount of brown sugar and the texture of a fantastic oatmeal cookie. It has a nice bite but is not too hard.
Goldilocks would love this fruit crisp. She would say it's "just right." The peaches are beautifully spiced with cinnamon and just a touch of (but not too much) nutmeg. The fruit filling is incredibly juicy but slightly thickened.
For this wonderful dessert, you'll want to choose perfectly ripe peaches. And please do it soon because, like all good things, the season is short but sweet.
(Well, maybe the cooking club.) Peaches are often sold by the "lug," an agricultural unit of measure that weighs about 23 pounds. The lug I bought is from our local Lions Club. It is an annual fundraiser.
Mine held 35 huge peaches, and every one of them is almost perfect. At 2024 prices, each perfect peach is worth a pretty penny! (And worth every cent!) These peaches came from Palisade, Colorado.
Peaches are probably the very best fruit there is for making a crisp. Peaches are a soft fruit. The contrast of a buttery crisp and crunchy crust really compliments their texture. Also, crisps are lots faster and easier to make than a pie and practically foolproof.
If you're a master at making a perfect pie crust, go for it, but why take the chance of trapping perfectly delicious peaches inside a sad, tough crust?
This recipe is similar to a very old recipe for apple crisp. It contains a whole stick of butter and combines quick oats with flour and brown sugar for the wonderful nutty taste and texture of a perfect oatmeal cookie.
The nooks and crannies in the topping are perfect spots for melty vanilla ice cream to disappear. Soft, sweet peaches blended with just the right amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg are perfect partners for the crispy top.
This time, I made it in my very old cast iron skillet for a great presentation when I took it, still warm, to a family event. Grandson Nick wolfed down two huge servings! It disappeared so quickly that I didn't even get to take a picture of a serving, so I was forced to make another one. How sad, right?😉
Spray a nine or ten-inch cast iron skillet, a 9" square cake pan, or a pie plate. Turn on the oven and set it at 350 degrees.
Put a pan of water on the stove to boil. Plop each peach in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, then remove it with a fork or tongs.
The skin will slip right off, and all the fruit will stay intact! It's almost magic!
Now cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Next, cut them into wedges, then in half, and arrange them evenly in your baking pan.
Once all the peaches are cut up, you're ready to add sugar, spices, and thickener to the fruit.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the peaches and set the pan aside while you make the topping.
Combine the flour, oatmeal, salt, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl and mix it all together thoroughly. Then, melt a stick of butter and pour it into the flour mixture. Next, stir everything until all the butter is absorbed. Keep stirring until everything is all nice and evenly crumbly.
Lightly distribute the topping mixture evenly over the fruit, trying not to leave anything uncovered. Then, pat it gently in place—don't pack it down.
Slip that peach crisp in the oven and bake it for about forty minutes while the aroma of cinnamon, butter, nutmeg, and peaches perfumes your whole house! When the crust is lightly browned and the yummy filling starts oozing up around the edges of the pan, it's time to take it out and let it cool.
If you can time it right, serve the crisp while it's still slightly warm from the oven. Top it with a generous scoop of the best vanilla ice cream you can find.
Let the ice cream melt just a bit and drip down into the nooks and crannies of the buttery topping. Use a spoon to get every last drop! I'll say it again: there's simply no better dessert in the summer than a perfect fresh peach crisp!
Fresh peaches perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg baked under a buttery, crisp topping of oatmeal, flour, and brown sugar.
*In a pinch, I have briefly pulsed old-fashioned oatmeal in a food processor until the flakes are a little smaller. Don't overdo it—you want to retain some texture.
Do you have a favorite peach dessert? If you do, please share it here!
I think you will love this Easy Peach Cake, which you can make with fresh or frozen peaches. Here's a surprisingly delicious combination: Tomato and Peach Salad! Peaches are also a delicious addition to a pork or chicken recipe!
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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[…] This old fashioned peach crisp recipe is perfection. The topping is buttery and crunchy, has just the right amount of brown sugar and the texture of a fantastic oatmeal cookie. A nice bite but not too hard. RECIPE FOR THE BEST PEACH CRISP EVER […]