Rustic Peach Crumble

It’s almost my birthday, so I’m starting to get obnoxious about it. Sorry, I’m not sorry.

This involves everything being topped with a candle and sometimes some sprinkles too. If you follow my Instagram, you have already gotten a glimpse of this. To me, it’s playful and whimsical. To the people around me…well, I don’t care because candles and sprinkles should make everyone happy.

I haven’t had any pre-birthday cake yet…but I’m not saying I won’t. For now though, I’ve got my eyes on a different prize. My Rustic Peach Crumble.

I bought a bunch of peaches on sale recently and they were all fragrant and ripe at the same time. This had me craving something rustic and beautiful, full of summer peaches and savory-sweet cinnamon. This crumble fulfills all of that and more.

My crumble topping is low on butter and sugar, but not on flavor. The flaxseeds and unsweetened coconut add an unexpected dimension to the crumble topping, making it taste almost like a granola. The allspice is very subtle and yet rounds out the savory side of the dessert. It almost hints of the fall season to come.

Of course, you could make this Rustic Peach Crumble and dish it out to all of your friends, or you could all gather around and eat straight from the skillet. The iron skillet creates a sense of informality and comfort, perfect to finish off a meal with your loved ones. Scoop some ice cream right into the middle of the Crumble so everyone can taste it as they spoon away.

And, of course, if it’s almost your birthday too, put a candle on top.

Rustic Peach Crumble
(one 8” crumble)

2-3 cups diced peaches (fresh or frozen)

½ tsp. granulated Stevia (or 1 tsp. granulated sugar, optional)

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. flaxseeds

1 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut

1 Tbs. flour (I used a gluten-free blend)

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. allspice

pinch of salt

1 Tbs. butter, melted

~Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray your iron skillet (or whatever baking dish you’re using) with nonstick spray.

~Place your diced peaches into the skillet in an even layer. If your peaches aren’t overly ripe and fragrant, sprinkle them with the ½ tsp. of Stevia (I like my crumble to not be overly sweet, so don’t add too much sweetener to the peaches). Sprinkle the top with the crumble (I piled most of my crumble into the middle and left the edges “naked” to get roasted flavor in the edge peaches, but feel free to cover the whole top with crumble).

~To make the crumble: In a bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flaxseeds, coconut, flour, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together and break up the brown sugar. Drizzle the melted butter over the ingredients and use your fingers to mix everything together. Crumble the crumble over the peaches.

~Bake the crumble for 45-55 minutes. If you started with frozen peach chunks, they will take 10-15 minutes longer to cook. If the crumble topping looks like it may begin to burn, tent the top with foil and finish baking. The fruit will be bubbling and browning.

~Let the crumble cool completely to thicken before serving. If you love your crumble hot, then warm it in a low heated oven (to maintain the integrity of the crumble while it’s heating), otherwise I like to serve it at room temperature. It’s fabulous when served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!