Fresh peaches and strawberries baked to sweet perfection underneath a buttery crisp topping of hearty oats, brown sugar and sliced almonds!
When it comes to fruity summer desserts, crisps are definitely at the top of my list. As someone who despises making pie crusts, crisps are an absolute godsend for the fact that the crust is replaced with a simple, yet divine crumbly crisp topping. Although I do appreciate a good slice of pie with a perfectly flakey crust, it’s not quite as mouthwatering as a beautifully-browned and buttery crisp topping straight from the oven.
So with peach and strawberry season upon us, I decided to combine the two by baking up a deliciously drop dead gorgeous crisp.
Although I’m normally a blackberry crisp kinda gal, I have to say that the combination of sweet strawberries and juicy peaches is exquisite. As they bake together in the oven, their juices intermingle with the sugar, creating the most succulently sweet syrup. The natural color from the strawberries also dyes the syrup a vibrantly crimson red.
The filling is incredibly simple to make. You’ll start by slicing your strawberries along with your peaches. I had a bit of an emergency when I realized that my peaches were hard as rock. Apparently, I didn’t let them ripen long enough. Thankfully, Google came to the rescue when I found a super duper quick way to soften the peaches!
All you have to do is boil a pot of water, then toss your sliced peaches in. Be sure to keep a close eye on them and check the doneness with a fork from time to time. The first time around, I kept the peaches in too long, so I had to start over with another batch of peaches. They shouldn’t boil longer than 5 minutes. They should be soft, yet firm so that they don’t turn to mush as they bake in the oven.
Once you’ve got your fruit sliced up, you’ll toss them together in a large bowl. Then you’ll combine some granulated sugar and cornstarch in a separate bowl. Cornstarch is used to thicken the juices released from the fruit. A lot of recipes call for flour instead, but cornstarch has always been my thickener of choice. Not only does it have no real flavor to mask, but it also results in a shiny, glossy sauce and it has twice the thickening power of flour.
After the sugar-cornstarch mixture is tossed with the fruit, a splash of lemon juice and vanilla are added to the mix.
As for the buttery crisp topping, well…
Let’s just say, I would devour an entire bowl of the stuff if it was socially acceptable to consume an entire stick of butter in one sitting.
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to crisps, I like the crisp topping to be EXTRA generous. After all, it’s called a CRISP. Therefore, it’s kind of mandatory that your crisp be absolutely teeming with addictively sweet crumbly topping.
In the past, I’ve used quick cook oats in my crisp topping. However, I decided to try whole oats in this recipe. The larger whole oats provided a nice hearty chew to the crisp, making it SO much better than the quick oats. I also incorporated sliced almonds into the topping, which gave the crisp a nice crunch. You could also use chopped pecans or walnuts, if you prefer!
The crisp takes about 35-40 minutes to bake in the oven. The juices should be bubbling along the edges, and the top should be golden brown. Unfortunately, like most succulently sweet desserts, you’ll have to wait at least 30 minutes to dig into the crisp to allow the juices to thicken up a bit as it cools. However, like I always say, the wait will be TOTALLY worth it, especially when you get that first fruity crisp spoonful!
Peach Strawberry Crisp
Ingredients
Crisp Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole oats
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup sliced almonds coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
Peach Strawberry Filling:
- 20 ounces peeled and sliced fresh peaches
- 20 ounces sliced fresh strawberries
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Crisp Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, almonds, and cinnamon. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut the softened butter into the dry ingredients, until a moist crumb forms; set aside.
Make the Peach Strawberry Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and spray a 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the peaches and strawberries in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Stir dry mixture into the fruit mixture, followed by the lemon juice and vanilla. Pour the filling into the baking dish.
- Evenly crumble the crisp topping over the peach strawberry filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown on top.
- Allow the crisp to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Leftover crisp can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.