Peach Crunch
Whether you call it a crunch, a crumble, or a crisp, fresh fruit baked with a crunchy topping is one of our favorite year-round desserts. But we especially love it in summertime, when fruit is at its peak. We offer a range of sugar amounts for the filling: if your peaches are really sweet, you might not need any sugar at all, but if they’re on the tart side, you can use up to 4 tablespoons.
kitchen gear
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife (adult needed)
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- 8 x 8-inch baking pan
- Spoon, for stirring
- Medium-sized bowl
- 2 forks
- Pot holders
Ingredients
- *Filling*
- 5 to 6 ripe peaches, quartered, pitted, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 to 4 tablespoons white sugar (depending on how sweet your peaches are)
- *Topping*
- 2⁄3 cup coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans *
- 1⁄3 cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, melted **
Instructions
- Turn the oven on and set the heat to 300 degrees.
- Make the filling: Put the peaches, flour, and sugar in the ungreased pan, and stir until you can’t see any dry patches of flour.
- Make the topping: Put the topping ingredients in the bowl and combine, by hand or with 2 forks, until the mixture is crumbly.
- Put the mixture on top of the peaches. When the oven temperature has reached 300 degrees, carefully put the pan in the oven.
- Bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes.
- Serve right away hot, warm or at room temperature. Or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
Notes
* To toast nuts, put them on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until they are fragrant and look a shade darker, about 5 minutes.
** To melt butter, put it in a microwave-safe cup and heat it for 30 seconds, or put it in a small pot over low heat and heat just until melted, a minute or two.
OR ELSE
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crunch: Substitute 4 cups (about 1 pound) sliced rhubarb and 1 pint strawberries, hulled (“Hulled” means with the leafy top and stem taken out.) and quartered, for the peaches. Omit the ground cinnamon and add an extra 2 tablespoons sugar to the filling. Peach-Blueberry Crunch: Substitute 1 cup blueberries for 1 peach.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crunch: Substitute 4 cups (about 1 pound) sliced rhubarb and 1 pint strawberries, hulled (“Hulled” means with the leafy top and stem taken out.) and quartered, for the peaches. Omit the ground cinnamon and add an extra 2 tablespoons sugar to the filling. Peach-Blueberry Crunch: Substitute 1 cup blueberries for 1 peach.