Brown Sugar Peach Crisp With Cold Vanilla Ice Cream
My kids started requesting this the second peaches show up at the farmers market, and I make it every single time without arguing.
The topping bakes into something almost candy-like at the edges, and the peaches underneath go completely soft and syrupy. You need the cold ice cream. It is not optional.
Brown Sugar Peach Crisp With Cold Vanilla Ice Cream
Jammy summer peaches under a buttery brown sugar oat topping, best served the moment it comes out of the oven.
Ingredients
Peach Filling
- 6 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced about half an inch thick
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed , light or dark both work
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
Brown Sugar Oat Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar , for topping, optional but recommended
To Serve
- 1 pint cold vanilla ice cream
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Cold butter in the topping is not negotiable. Soft butter makes a paste. You want clumps that hold their shape going into the oven.
- If your peaches are very ripe and juicy, add an extra half teaspoon of cornstarch to keep the filling from being watery.
- To peel peaches quickly, score a small X on the bottom, drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then straight into ice water. The skins slip off.
- Frozen peach slices work in winter. Thaw them completely and drain off excess liquid before mixing with the other filling ingredients.
- The crisp is best within 2 hours of baking when the topping is still crisp. After that the topping softens as it sits.
Nutrition per serving · estimated
Why Brown Sugar Does Something Special Here
White sugar sweetens. Brown sugar does something more. The molasses in it deepens during baking and turns the topping into something close to toffee at the edges, with a slight chew in the center pieces and a full crunch at the corners.
Using brown sugar in the filling too means the peach juices thicken into something almost jammy rather than thin and watery. It works with the fruit instead of just sweetening it.
The Ice Cream Is Part of the Recipe
I know it is listed under serving suggestions, but the cold against the hot is the entire point. The ice cream melts into the peach juices and the two become something new in the bowl.
Get a good vanilla, one with real flecks in it if you can. The flavor matters here because it is standing next to something bold.
