Recipe: Maple Bourbon Peach Crumble

Whether it's served hot out of the oven or as chilled leftovers the next day, a peach crumble or crisp is the perfect relaxed, easy-to-make-and-serve summer treat. This one is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and a splash of bourbon and features a nutty, gluten-free topping.

I especially like the topping with pecans and pecan meal, which can be found from brands like King Arthur Flour or easily made by pulsing pecans in a food processor. You could also substitute ingredients like almond meal and sliced almonds.

Maple Bourbon Peach Crumble

Makes one 8"x8", 9"x9", or equivalent sized crisp

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 6 cups sliced peaches (about 2 pounds)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on sweetness of peaches)
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup pecan meal/flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

To Prepare

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Toss the peaches with the arrowroot starch or cornstarch, maple syrup, bourbon, lemon zest and juice, and salt. Pour the filling into an 8"x8", 9"x9", or equivalent sized baking dish.

Stir together the pecan meal/flour, oat flour, rolled oats, nutmeg, and salt. Add the maple syrup and butter and use your fingers or a fork to work it into the dry ingredients, forming large crumbs. Scatter the topping evenly over the peaches.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the juices are bubbling around the edges. At around the 20-minute mark, check that the crisp is not browning too quickly; if necessary, lightly cover the dish with aluminum foil and then remove the foil for a minute or two at the end.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Recipe Notes

• Pecan meal and oat flour may be store-bought or homemade. To make pecan meal, pulse toasted pecans in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder until the consistency of cornmeal. To make oat flour, process rolled oats in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder until powdery.
• For strict gluten-free eaters, use certified gluten-free oats. The National Institutes of Health and Celiac.com consider distilled alcohol including bourbon to be gluten-free, but if you are concerned you could use 100 percent corn bourbon such as Hudson Baby Bourbon. Celiac.com also recognizes Maker's Mark as gluten-free.