Easy Peach Crumble (or crisp)

Together with the peach cobbler, this peach crumble with oats (some might call it crisp) is my favorite way to use fresh peaches the minute they hit the grocery store or the open market.

The beauty of this easy peach dessert is that it creates its own sauce as it bakes when the cornstarch mixes with the peach juices. Together with the crumb topping it's an easy dessert recipe that you'll want to make over and over again. I know we do.

Just so you know, you can make it with fewer ingredients (only 5) if you choose to leave out the spices, cornstarch, and lemon. Simple and sweet, but without all the extras. And it'd still be a very delicious crumble.

I did it several times in circumstances when I had few things available and it was still amazing with that golden brown streusel topping and the natural juices from the peaches.

You need juicy ripe peaches that have an amazing flavor, not mushy or flavorless ones. A great recipe starts with great ingredients.

Ingredients

There's not much mystery when it comes to the ingredients in this delicious dessert. They include oats, as most crisps do, or should.

• Peaches: fresh fruit is the way to go. Don't use overly ripe peaches as they will not hold their shape very well after being baked. If not in season, you can use frozen peaches or canned peach halves.
• Brown sugar: it goes so well with the peaches! But you can use white sugar if that's all you have. It won't have that caramel tone, but it'll still be a fantastic dessert.
• Flour: you can use all-purpose flour or cake flour. Both work.
• Butter: unsalted butter is used for the crumble.
• Cornstarch: it thickens the sauce when the peaches release their juices during baking.
• Lemon juice: it adds some acid to balance out the sugar and butter.
• Spices: we love a pinch of ground cinnamon and ground ginger, maybe a smidge of nutmeg. And we mean a pinch, to let the peach flavor shine.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.

Peach mixture

Fruit: I like peach slices that are not very large because they're hard to eat. Remember you will only use a spoon and a bowl to eat it. Hopefully. But in case you serve it on a plate with a spoon and fork, the peach pieces can be bigger.

Mixing: the fruit is combined with the rest of the filling ingredients and I do this directly in the baking dish. No need to wash an extra bowl. But you can mix it all in a separate large bowl and dump it in the dish afterward.

Crumble topping

It's super easy to make and can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a few weeks or frozen for a month or more.

• Dry ingredients: they consist of flour and brown sugar.
• Butter: this recipe uses cold butter cut into small pieces, which is the old-fashioned way. But you can use melted butter and stir it into the dry ingredients for an ever quicker crumble mixture. Both ways of making it are in the recipe card.
• Mixing: I use a medium bowl and my hands or a pastry cutter. But you can also use the processor (it's great when making a large batch) but don't process the oats from the beginning or they will be pulverized. Add them at the last moment and pulse once or twice just to mix.
• The final mixture should be rustic, coarse, and have clumps here and there (images below).

Assembling this dessert

There's not much work at this point.

• Distribute the peach filling and top with the crumble. Don't cover the top of the peaches completely, leave some space at the edges. This is the best way to ensure proper baking of both layers as the fruit juices can bubble up.
• Baking dish: use a round, square, glass or ceramic dish that you want.
  Remember that you'll serve this fruit crumble recipe directly from it. This recipe makes a 9-inch dessert, but it can be adjusted to a bigger or smaller dish.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Peach skins: I don't usually peel them but you absolutely can! You can also use nectarines which are very similar to peaches but with thinner skin.
• Serving it: we love it, and serve it, either warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or plain at room temperature.
• Variations: you can add some lemon zest (together with the lemon juice) to the filling if you want a sharper lemon tone. Or use orange zest and juice instead as they go very well with peaches and spices. Add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel-like topping mixture for a crunchy crumble.