Fresh and juicy peaches baked underneath a generous layer of buttery, brown sugary, toasted Biscoff streusel! Add a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, and you have the most perfect Peach Crisp ever!
If there’s one dessert that brings me instant comfort, it’s definitely fruit crisps. Warm and brimming with fresh fruit, this dessert classic is great ANY time of the year. However, if I’m being totally honest, the main reason why I love fruit crisps so much is because of the streusel topping. To me, there’s NO such thing as too much streusel topping.
So if you’re on Team Streusel like myself, then you’re gonna go Lady Gaga for this Peach Crisp!
Not to toot my own French horn, but this Peach Crisp is perfection. With heaps of juicy peaches baked under a THICK and deliciously crisp streusel topping, you’ll find it nearly impossible not to go back for seconds and thirds. In fact, I recommend doubling the recipe if you can!
Why You’ll Love This Peach Crisp
Perfect Peach Filling: Peaches tend to produce a lot of juice which can result in a runny filling and soggy streusel. This filling, on the other hand, retains a nice thick filling with a crispy streusel topping.
LOTS of Streusel Topping: As I just mentioned, this Peach Crisp has no shortage of streusel topping. Plus, it’s loaded with oats, pecans, and buttery Biscoff cookie crumbs!
Easier Than Pie: We’ve all heard the phrase “easy as pie,” but fruit crisps are easier THAN pie! You don’t have to go through the trouble of making up pie dough, chilling it, rolling it out, and shaping it. With crisps, all you have to do is throw all of the streusel ingredients into a bowl, toss them together, then sprinkle them on top of the filling. Bada bing bada boom!
Tips For Making The Perfect Peach Crisp
Use the right peaches: You can use either the yellow or white variety of peaches. Just make sure that your peaches are semi-firm with no soft spots or bruises. Oftentimes, the peaches in the grocery store are rather hard, so I recommend purchasing at least 9 peaches (around 3 pounds), and placing them in a brown paper bag to ripen for 1-2 days. It’s a good idea to purchase 1 or 2 extra peaches just in case you end up with some that are mealy or too soft. If they’re too soft, they won’t hold their shape during baking.
Macerate the peaches: It’s no secret that peaches are an incredibly juicy fruit. No matter how much thickener (cornstarch or flour) you add, it almost seems impossible not to end up with super runny filling. So in order to prevent this, I macerated the peaches by slicing them up, and tossing them with some sugar and lemon juice. After an hour, you’ll notice that a lot of juice has been extracted from the peaches. Don’t worry, we’re not going to throw that flavorful juice out! Instead, we’ll pour it into a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat to reduce the liquid to a thick syrup. This syrup will then be added back to the peaches along with some cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
Add Biscoff cookie crumbs to the streusel topping: This is an absolute game changer, folks. Biscoff cookies are buttery and caramelized in flavor, and they add an extra crispness to the topping. I actually got the idea from my mom since she used to add crushed up graham crackers to her apple crisp topping whenever she didn’t have enough flour. So if you don’t have Biscoff cookies, use graham crackers instead!
Let it cool for 30 minutes: Patience is a virtue, ESPECIALLY when it comes to fruit crisps. Letting the crisp sit for at least 30 minutes allows the hot peach juices time to thicken and set. This not only ensures a filling that’s not runny, but it also guarantees that you won’t burn your tongue, which is no bueno!
Can I use canned or frozen peaches?
For peach crisp, I recommend using fresh peaches. Canned peaches are softer, which will result in a mushy filling. Frozen peaches contain extra liquid due to the freezing process, which could make the filling more runny.
Do I have to peel the peaches?
This is truly based on preference. Although peach skin softens during baking, the texture of the filling isn’t quite as smooth as peeled peaches. The best way to peel peaches is to blanch them by dunking them into a pot of boiling water for 45-60 seconds. Take them out and immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water. The peel comes right off with this method!
Can I make this crisp into a cobbler instead?
You most definitely can! In fact, I HIGHLY recommend using the dough recipes from my Blueberry Sugar Cookie Cobbler or my Blackberry Snickerdoodle Cobbler. Simply make up the peach filling as directed, top it with the dough, and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Perfect Peach Crisp
Ingredients
Peach Filling:
- 2 ½ pounds peeled and sliced fresh peaches
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned whole oats
- ½ cup Biscoff cookie crumbs* (about 7 cookies)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened and sliced
Instructions
Make the Peach Filling:
- Gently toss the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Let sit for 1 hour to allow maceration.
- While peaches are macerating make the Streusel Topping. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, oats, cookie crumbs, cinnamon and salt. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the softened butter into the dry ingredients. Once halfway incorporated, use your hands to squeeze the ingredients together, until a moist crumb forms; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and spray an 8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour macerated peaches into a colander set over a bowl to thoroughly drain the juice. You should have about 3/4 cup juice. Place the juice into a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 7-10 minutes. Add the reduced juice, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to the peaches, gently stirring to coat. Pour the filling into the baking dish.
- Evenly crumble the streusel topping over the peach 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.
Notes