A simple topping over a simple filling, made extra special with caramelized brown butter and toasty pecans in the crumble. Fresh, juicy summer peaches tossed with nothing but vanilla and dark brown sugar. It’s the perfect peach-season dessert. Sweet, ripe, and a true taste of July and August. No long wait times, no extra fuss. Just warm, jammy fruit and a golden crisp topping that tastes even better with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter: for simple ingredient recipes, I try to use the best ingredients I can find. Good European butter is my preference, but any butter works. You can also use salted butter, but if so, omit the 1/4 tsp kosher salt.
- Old fashioned rolled oats
- Dark brown sugar: You could also substitute with light brown sugar, coconut sugar or white sugar.
- Toasted pecans: I love the flavor of pecans, but walnuts and almonds would be equally beautiful. You MUST toast them & this is a step you should not skip. In fact, in most baking recipes if they do not tell you to toast your nuts, you should find a different one!
- All Purpose flour: I always use King Arthurs (& it is the best). You can subsitute with GF flour.
- Peaches – Use ripe, juicy peaches. They are easiest to peel & have the most flavor.
- Brown butter – Browning the butter takes just a few minutes and makes all the difference.
- Cornstarch – Just enough to thicken & slightly set the peach juices as they bake. A cornstarch substitute (like tapioca) will also work, but I prefer cornstarch.
Peeling Peaches
Peeling peaches is actually so easy. I never had any idea how to peel a damn peach without massacreing it with a vegetable peeler or losing good juicy chunks of peach.
Start with a ripe peach, the more firm, the harder it is to peel at the end. Set aside a large bowl of ice water. Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil the whole peach in the water for 45 seconds to a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to ice water. When the peaches are fully cooled, the skin will peel right off. Need a visual? Here is a video of how I peel my peaches
Brown Sugar, Brown Butter
As with most fruit fillings, this one is just sugar & fruit. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but I did choose to use only brown sugar instead of a mix for this one. I really wanted a molassess-y, caramel-y, toffee flavor to come through with the juicy perfect bite of peach. Toss in the sugar, lemon juice & cornstarch. Set aside and make your crisp.
I’ve said it a million times, and I will probably never stop saying it. My love for brown butter knows no bounds. This recipe is simple because after browning the butter we are just going to use it as is, melted. No long wait times. Mix up all of the dry ingredients, then add in the butter. The mixture should hold shape in your hand when squeezed, like perfect sandcastle sand.
FAQ
Can I use frozen peaches?
Yes, but fresh, ripe, July-August peaches will always have the best flavor. I would thaw frozen peaches before using so you can drain some of the liquid as they will be much more wet. Add an extra teaspoon of cornstarch.
How to pick the perfect peaches for peach crisp?
Look for peaches with no bruising. They should be firm but have some give. Don’t go pressing them like crazy because they bruise easily! If the peach is a variation where the stone does not come out, cut around it before making your slices.
Do I need to peel the peaches?
Some people say no, but I say definitely yes & peeling them is so easy. Look above for simple peeling directions or in the recipe.
Why is my peach crisp runny?
Sometimes if you chose very ripe peaches they will get very soft and wet. But fruit crisps are almost always runny when piping hot! Let the crisp cool & set a little bit if you want it more firm (30 minutes or so). It will still be warm.
What is the difference between peach cobbler and peach crisp?
A cobbler is made with biscuity or doughy topping, while a crisp is made with a mixture of ingredients that gets crisp while baking (closer to a cookie).
From the Kitchen
Connect with Me
If you make this Brown Sugar, Brown Butter Peach Crisp, please rate & comment below! And as always, tag me on Instagram if you made something of mine. I love your feedback.
Looking for another good summer fruit option? I adore this Blueberry Biscuit Cobbler.
Brown Sugar, Brown Butter Peach Crisp
Equipment
- 1 9 inch Pie Dish
Ingredients
Brown Butter Peach Topping
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 12 tbs, 6oz, browned*
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup pecans toasted & chopped
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Brown Sugar Peach Filling
- 3 lb peaches (about 8-10 average sized peaches) peeled & sliced*
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 & 1/2 tbs cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°: Brown Butter While oven is preheating, brown your butter. Cook butter on medium-low heat. Stir often until butter begins to separate & foam. The butter solids will start to get golden & brown. Stir until there are lots of golden flecks and it smells caramelized. You will see deep brown golden flecks. Pour in a bowl to stop and let cool. Toast Nuts When oven is preheated, toast pecans 8-10 minutes until lightly golden brown and fragrant. set aside to cool. Peel peaches*
- Make Peach Filling: In a large bowl, add peaches, brown sugar, juice of lemon, vanilla & salt. Stir and set aside. Mix cornstarch in a splash of water, add that to filling and stir.
- Make Peach Crisp Topping: In another mixing bowl, add all topping ingredients except the butter (rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans & salt). Whisk. Add butter & mix into dry ingredients. It should hold shape when squeezed but crumble easily.
- Bake Peach Crisp: Place peaches & their juices in bottom of pie dish. Squeeze handful of crisp topping and crumble it over the top of the peaches. Continue until completely covered. Bake peach crisp 30-35 minutes or until top is golden and fruit is very bubbly. Remove & let cool. Serve on its own or with vanilla ice cream.
