My mom asked me to make a dessert this past weekend for father’s day, and since I had just received a batch of fresh peaches from our co-op, I decided to put them to use in a delicious peach crumble. I am not attempting to promote this dish as a weight loss meal or “health treat”, but if you need/ desire a dessert that you can bring to any event…why not make one with fresh fruits and whole grains?
This dessert was the perfect companion to a summertime family gathering. There was only one small serving left, and it made a fantastic breakfast the next day.
Peach Oatmeal Crumble
Ingredients:
Filling
10 small-to-medium peaches- chopped
1 Tablespoon (T) cinnamon
1 T vanilla extract
2 T whole wheat flour
2 T {turbinado} sugar
Topping
½ c whole wheat flour
½ c all purpose flour
1 c rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 ¾ c {turbinado} sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1T cinnamon
½ c plus 2T butter (a little more than 1 stick) at room temperature
1T vanilla extract
Serves 8
Method:
1. Set out the butter 30 minutes in advance. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss all of the filling ingredients together in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Spread peach mixture evenly
across the bottom of the dish.
3. In medium bowl, combine all of the dry topping ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry blender or mix ¼ inch chips of butter with a fork. Mix until topping resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Spread topping evenly across the peaches.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top looks golden and crisp.
6. Serve warm with or without vanilla ice cream.
Ingredient Spotlight: I used turbinado sugar (a/k/a natural brown sugar, raw sugar, or demerara sugar). If you don’t have access to turbinado sugar, you can substitute with regular brown sugar. BUT, here’s why turbinado sugar is a good option for baked goods:
Turbinado sugar is not as processed as conventional sugars. It is a result of the first pressing of sugar cane, so it still contains quite a bit of sugar cane’s natural byproduct, which is molasses. This natural brown sugar contains small amounts of vital nutrients, such as potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium. White sugar, on the other hand, consists completely of sucrose (dreaded empty calories). Turbinado also has a fraction of the calories that white sugar contains, containing 11 to 20 calories per teaspoon, while white sugar has a whopping 45 calories found in a tablespoon of white sugar. There are also no chemicals used in processing, and so the minimal refining process leaves it as pure as one can possibly get without chewing on the sugar cane raw.
All of this makes turbinado a nice alternative to regular sugar, but remember, at the end of the day, it is still sugar…so don’t go crazy with it!!
Plenty 