Recipe: Maple Peach Crisp

Summer is in full swing, and one of my favorite things about summer is Peaches are now readily available in most markets. While I love buying according to season,  I can never wait until August for the local crop to come around, and I eat them in great quantities and love to use them for dessert. Peaches are so versatile and sweet they are perfect grilled, and for baking with little to no additional sweeteners...or just by themselves!

Maple Peach Crisp.

First, you want to wash  these beautiful babies.

Then, peel, slice, and throw about a tablespoon of lemon juice on them so they don't brown too much. The lemon also adds a nice balance to the filling later on.

Combine Peaches with Cinnamon, Maple syrup, Vanilla, and flour of your choosing. This recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour, but I decided to use Tapioca flour because of it's thickening properties, and also because I felt the whole wheat might be a little, let's say, heavy for this. I wanted it to be light, summery, and not taste like it's actually good for your intestines (especially since I'll be using whole wheat flour in the topping). But you can use any flour you prefer.

Yummers. I leave them in the bowl to marinate while I assemble the topping.

The topping can be made a few ways. I like oats so I went that route. I also add wheat germ for good measure, but you could use flax, wheat germ, chia, kamut, spelt--whatever your preference. I personally like to do oats/wheat germ/flax. Today, I didn't have any flax meal left so  I just did the oats & wheat germ. Also, I didn't have any whole wheat pastry flour, just regular whole wheat flour. I threw it in my mini food processor to grind it finer and make it less noticeable that it wasn't the real deal. Anyway, you mix your, um, "oat of choice", flour, cinnamon, sugar, nut of choice, Maple syrup, & Butter (or Vegan spread if that's your thing) until it is a well-combined, almost dough. It's best to use your hands for this.

Another thing about the last step. I chose to use Honey instead of sugar. I also used 1/2 Tapioca flour, 1/2 whole wheat, so it wasn't so tough or obvious as whole wheat can often be. The Tapioca can also help with browning, and make it crisper. As for the nuts, they are optional, but delicious. I prefer Pecans, and have them on hand 99% of the time--this can be omitted or substituted for another nut, maybe raisins, anything you might prefer.

Now, grab your 9×12 pan (or a round pie plate for smaller quantities)

Grease it with butter, oil, or nonstick spray. Normally, I would use my pretty red ceramic pan (especially considering this is going on the internet) but, this is going to be transported later and the Pyrex sets have such nifty covers. Grab your prepared Peaches, give them a quick mix, and spread them evenly in the pan. Take your topping, and drop it on top of the fruit. I flattened mine probably too much, and it would have looked much prettier if it were done "rustic" style, but I really wanted every bite to have some topping with it.

Pre-bake:

Bake for 30 minutes covered, then 20 minutes uncovered and here is the finished product:

Enjoy!

Maple Peach Crisp

Fruit

• 6-8 peeled & sliced Peaches
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1tbsp. Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pure Maple syrup
• 1 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour
• Literally, pinch sea salt

Topping

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ/flax¹
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup honey²
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped Pecans³
• 1/4 cup pure Maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (4 tbsp.) softened unsalted butter*
• Literally, pinch sea salt

¹ You could substitute Spelt or Kamut for wheat germ and Flax, or omit entirely as these are my preferences and oats by themselves are delicious as well as traditional in a crisp.

² You could use sucanat, stevia, agave, brown rice syrup, or regular/brown sugar in appropriate amounts also.

³ Or any nut you prefer.

* Vegan spreads are also available in most markets.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Peel & slice Peaches, toss with Lemon juice while still slicing, to inhibit browning. Toss with Cinnamon, Maple syrup, Vanilla, flour, and a tiny pinch of salt until coated. Set aside to "marinate" while preparing topping.
3. Mix oats, flour, cinnamon, sweetener, and nuts. Add softened Butter, Maple syrup, and a small pinch of salt. Mix until evenly distributed. It is best to use your hands for this.
4. Grease a 9×12 pan, and spread fruit evenly on the bottom.
5. Distribute topping evenly over the fruit mixture.
6. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, uncovered, or until the crisp is golden brown.

©The Village Farmhouse | Amy Heck 2012. Please do not steal my images.