peach crumble

U-Pick Peach Crumble

Heading into September, the Northern Michigan air gets crisper, the clouds transform into dreamy billowing shapes, and the peaches ripen, waiting to be plucked from their branches. As our bodies begin to experience autumn's awakening, I say hunker down with a homemade peach crumble. It's a surefire way to warm your bones when the cool air rolls in. That's not to say you can't top it with a little vanilla ice cream…

The end of August thru early September is the best time to pick peaches at a U-Pick farm near you, or pick them up from a roadside farm stand. Either way, you'll have a simply delicious and seasonal crumble to share with your friends and family.

Ingredients

1 Standard pie pan Filling:
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ripe peaches (that's about 8 large peaches or 12 small peaches)
  • 1 cup ripe blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries (thawed frozen fruit works great, too)
  • Lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour (you can substitute 2 tablespoons corn starch)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crumble:
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peach CrumbleSlice your peaches to your preferred size. In a large mixing bowl, add your sliced peaches, cup of berries, zest of lemon (I like to use half the lemon's zest), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3/4 cup granulated white sugar (you may only want to use a half cup if your fruit is super sweet), 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Mix these ingredients together with a large spoon. If mixture seems soupy, add a little extra flour to thicken it up. Pour mixture into a pie pan. In large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut your butter into small cubes, and cut them into the mixture using a pie cutter or large fork. You want the mixture to resemble a thick cornmeal, with the bits of butter evenly distributed throughout. Add in 1 1/2 cups oats and 2 tablespoons of cream. Distribute crumble over peach filling. Place a baking sheet on the lowest rack of your oven. Cover it with parchment or aluminum foil to catch the overflow while the crumble bakes. Bake the crumble on the center rack for 45-55 minutes or until the crumble is golden on top. Let cool for 20-30 minutes. Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.