Fresh Peach Crisp with Jaca Oat Crumble
Peach crisp is the dessert of summer: ripe, juicy peaches baked under a buttery cinnamon-oat crumble until the fruit bubbles up golden at the edges and your whole kitchen smells like a farm stand. It takes about 20 minutes to throw together, needs no pie crust or rolling pin, and is impossible to mess up — which is exactly why it has been a back-pocket favorite for generations. The secret is letting the peaches macerate first so they release their juices, then thickening those juices into a glossy sauce that coats every slice. Our version swaps every bit of sugar for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount — 1/2 cup of granular Jaca in place of 1/4 cup of sugar in the peach filling, and 1 cup in place of 1/2 cup of brown sugar in the crumble — so it tastes every bit as sweet and craveable with no added sugar and no aftertaste. Jaca dissolves and bakes just like sugar, with one thing to watch: allulose browns a touch faster, so keep an eye on the topping toward the end and tent it with foil if it colors too quickly. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds fresh peaches (about 6-8, peeled, cored, and sliced about 3/4-inch thick — for the filling)
- 1/2 cup Jaca (allulose), granular (for the filling — replaces 1/4 cup of granulated sugar at the 2x ratio, with no added sugar and no aftertaste)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (to thicken the filling)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed, for the filling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for the filling)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (for the filling)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the filling)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for the crumble topping)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (for the crumble topping)
- 1 cup Jaca (allulose), granular (for the crumble topping — replaces 1/2 cup of light brown sugar at the 2x ratio)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (for the crumble topping)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the crumble topping)
- 1 dash ground nutmeg (for the crumble topping)
- 1 dash salt (for the crumble topping)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter (cold, diced into small chunks, for the crumble topping)
- vanilla ice cream (for serving, optional)
Sweetener Used
1 1/2 cups granular Jaca (1 cup topping + 1/2 cup filling) Allulose
Replaces: 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup brown sugar + 1/4 cup granulated)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch (or 2-quart) baking dish.
- 2
Prepare the peaches: peel, core, and slice them about 3/4-inch thick. Place the slices in a colander set over a bowl, add the 1/2 cup granular Jaca, and stir gently. Let rest about 20 minutes so the Jaca draws the juices out — you should collect at least 1/4 cup of peach juice in the bowl. Allulose pulls moisture a little differently than sugar, so if you get a bit less juice, that is fine.
- 3
Coat the peaches: to the reserved peach juice, whisk in the 2 tablespoons flour, the lemon juice, vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until smooth. Pour this over the peaches and toss gently to coat every slice.
- 4
Make the crumble: in a separate bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup flour, the oats, 1 cup granular Jaca, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, and a dash of salt. Add the cold diced butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized bits of butter throughout.
- 5
Assemble: spread the peaches and their syrup evenly in the prepared baking dish, then sprinkle the crumble topping over them in an even layer.
- 6
Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the peach filling is bubbling around the edges. Because Jaca (allulose) browns faster than conventional sugar, start checking at 25 minutes and loosely tent the dish with foil if the top is browning before the filling is bubbly.
- 7
Let the crisp cool 10-15 minutes so the filling sets up, then serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Jaca keeps it sweet and golden with no added sugar.
Pro Tips
- Use ripe but still-firm peaches so they hold their shape and do not turn to mush as they bake. To ripen hard peaches fast, leave them in a paper bag at room temperature for a day with a banana tucked in.
- Allulose browns faster than conventional sugar, so check the topping at the 25-minute mark and tent loosely with foil if it darkens before the peaches are bubbling.
- Cold butter is the key to a crumbly topping — cut it in just until you have pea-sized bits and stop; over-working it turns the crumble into a paste.
- For a little extra crunch on top, run the finished crisp under the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the end, watching it closely so the Jaca crumble does not scorch.
- Stir a handful of fresh blueberries or blackberries into the peaches before topping for a peach-berry crisp.
- No fresh peaches? Frozen work great — thaw, drain the excess liquid, and continue with the recipe as written.