Bourbon Pecan Peach Crisp is the ultimate summer dessert! Made with brown sugar, fresh peaches, rolled oats, and bourbon, this easy peach crisp recipe is summer in a skillet. Peak season ripe peaches are best but frozen peaches will work. And serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Sweet Peach Crisp: The Ultimate Summer Dessert
I look forward to peach season all year long! Peach desserts are such a luxury because the window to enjoy peak season peaches is tragically short. And what’s better than a bubbling skillet of warm peaches topped with golden brown crisp topping… and ice cream?!? NOTHING!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Peach Crisp
- Brown sugar, cinnamon, orange juice work together to enhance the peach flavor!
- Like most fruit crisps, it’s easy to make, but will quickly become your favorite summer dessert.
- Juicy ripe peaches covered with a golden brown crisp topping… to-die-for!
- Delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top… or two scoops, if you’re like me.
- You can make it in a baking dish, casserole dish, or large skillet.
- Make this peach dessert with fresh peaches or frozen peaches.
- Adding a dash of bourbon enhances the depth of flavor, but you can omit it.
Easy Peach Crisp Recipe
- Sweet Peaches: Choose semi-firm but ripe sweet peaches. They shouldn’t be mushy and you definitely want the slices to hold their shape when sliced.
- Bourbon: My secret ingredient to this classic summer dessert! But feel free to replace with a tablespoon of vanilla extract or use another liquor like rum or whiskey.
- Orange: Freshly squeezed orange juice and zest enhance the peach flavor. If you can’t find fresh oranges, skip the zest and replace with peach nectar or store-bought OJ. I don’t suggest using lemon juice.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds rich flavor and helps enhance the other flavors in this recipe.
- Brown Sugar: In a pinch, granulated sugar will work. But brown sugar adds the best flavor to this fruit crisp!
- Cinnamon: The tiniest pinch of cinnamon adds a sweet spice and enhances the flavor of the peaches.
- Cornstarch: A bit of cornstarch helps thicken the peach filling up. See my notes below if you’re using frozen peaches.
Golden Brown Crisp Topping
- Unsalted Butter: For the easy and even blending, cut it into cubes. And make sure the butter is at room temperature before use.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Aka rolled oats. Do not replace these with quick oats.
- Pecans: This nut can easily go rancid, so always check they’re fresh before use.
- Sugar: A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar sweeten the crisp topping. And ensure it bakes up golden brown.
- Spices: Cinnamon and cardamom team up to add sweet flavor to this crisp topping!
- All-Purpose Flour: I don’t suggest using any other variety of flour. However some readers have reported good results using a 1 for 1 GF flour substitute.
- Ice Cream: Of course, you’ll want to have some ice cream on hand for serving! We love classic vanilla ice cream, but use your favorite flavor.
How to Make Peach Crisp
- Preheat the Oven: Unlike a lot of recipes that preheat the oven to 350 degrees. This recipe calls for a higher temperature of 375. Be sure to preheat your oven about 30 minutes before you plan on baking, so it gets sufficiently hot.
- Make the Peach Filling: To avoid an extra dirty dish, you can mix the peach filling right in the baking dish! A 9×13-inch baking dish or a large skillet will work fine! And unless peach skin REALLY bothers you, skip peeling them! It’ll save you so much time and effort.
- Pro Tip: If you’re using a skillet, place it on a baking sheet before baking. This just ensures any juices that bubble up land on the baking sheet and not the bottom of your oven.
- Bake the Peach Crisp: For about 45 minutes! Or until the rolled oats in the crisp topping toping are golden brown and the peaches are soft and juicy.
- Serve Warm: But allow the juices to “set” for about 15 minutes before digging in! And of course, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make this the ultimate summer dessert!
Can I leave the Bourbon Out?
- Yes, you can leave the bourbon out. I would suggest adding a an extra Tablespoon of vanilla extract. Or subbing another liquor.
- If you’re not sure what kind of bourbon to use, we love Bulleit Bourbon, and it’s typically easy to find.
- If you don’t want to invest in a full-size bottle, go to your local liquor store and peruse the mini bottles. You can find them near the check-out counter, and they are the perfect size for baking projects!
- If you don’t have bourbon but still want to use liquor, whiskey would be a nice substitute or even a rye!
Fresh Peaches vs Frozen Peaches
- If you can find ripe peaches that are peak season, by all means, use fresh peaches! In my opinion, fresh peaches is what makes this summer dessert so darn good!
- If you can’t find peak season sweet peaches, frozen peaches will work. Instead of 2 and 1/4 pounds, use (2) 16 ounce bags of sliced frozen peaches.
- Do not thaw the frozen peaches before use! Add them frozen, and break them up with your hands if they’re sticking together.
- Because frozen peaches contain more water than fresh peaches, I suggest adding an extra 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Peach Recipes: What’s the Difference between Peach Cobbler and Peach Crisp?
- A crisp is typically fruit (in this case, peaches), covered in a buttery streusel like topping.
- While peach cobbler is typically a fruit base topped with fluffy biscuits (or a biscuit like mixture). Both are delicious, and much easier than peach pie!
More Fruit Crisps:
Bourbon Pecan Peach Crisp
Ingredients
For the Peach Filling:
- 2 and 1/2 pounds fresh ripe peaches pitted and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons (35ml) bourbon
- 2 Tablespoons (28ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (106g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For the Crisp Topping:
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter cut into cubes, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (75g) old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup (57g) pecans finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (106g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
- 2/3 cup (80g) all-purpose flour
- ice cream, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish OR 12-inch skillet, combine the peaches, bourbon, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Toss well, making sure the peaches are well coated.
- Sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss well to combine. Set aside while you make the crisp topping.
For the Pecan Crisp Topping:
- Cut butter into cubes and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, pecans, both sugars, cinnamon, cardamom, and flour.
- Add in the cubed butter and, using two forks or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- Sprinkle topping evenly over peaches. Place pan in the oven.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the peaches have begun to burst and release their juices and the topping is golden brown.
- Allow the juice to settle slightly (about 15 minutes), then serve warm!
Can this be frozen and baked from frozen?
Or frozen after it’s been baked, and then reheated?