Bourbon Peach Crumb Pie

Topped with a brown sugar oat crumb

I am known to put a crumb on pretty much anything I can. Banana bread? Put a crumb on there! Coffee cake? Absolutely. And when it comes to pie, I think a crumb topping is usually superior to a standard top crust. Sure, a lattice is beautiful, but what I really want are rich, gently spiced crumbles of butter and sugar to pair with my baked fruit. There is a subtle difference between a crumb and a streusel: the former is made with cold butter, while the latter is made with melted. I use a streusel for my pumpkin muffins and classic coffee cake, both excellent recipes I’d highly recommend. But here, I’m going to show you how to make a crumb with cold butter. I like to add some rolled oats and nuts for extra texture and flavor. I find pecans pair particularly well with the bourbon peach filling in this week’s second recipe, for paid subscribers. However, you could swap in walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or really any nut you like. Finally, I like the understated pairing of cinnamon and nutmeg to bring a bit of warmth to the topping. Use this crumb on pretty much anything baked, from cookies, to loaves, to cakes. I even use it to top babka. But I really love it most on my bourbon peach crumb pie below, which takes advantage of peak stone fruit season in spectacular fashion. So if you’d like to get your hands on that and other special recipes, upgrade to a paid subscription!

Brown Sugar Oat Crumb

Makes about 2 cups

15 mins active time, 15 mins total time

Ingredients

90 g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour

30 g (1/3 cup) quick-cooking oats

50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

40 g (3 tbsp, lightly packed) light brown sugar

2.25 g (3/4 tsp) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or see note below)

37 g (1/3 cup) raw pecans, roughly chopped

1.25 g (1/2 tsp) cinnamon

0.38 g (1/8 tsp) nutmeg

85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted, margarine-style vegan butter, cold, diced (e.g. Violife - see note below)

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, oats, sugars, salt, pecans, and spices in a medium bowl

2. Add the vegan butter and toss to evenly coat the pieces with the dry mixture

3. Work the mixture with your fingers, breaking down the pieces of butter until the mixture is sandy and the chunks of butter are no larger than dimes; alternatively, this can be done by pulsing the mixture in a food processor fitted with a steel blade

4. Crumb keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered

Things I Used

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Ingredients

King Arthur all-purpose flour

Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Raw pecan halves

Ground cinnamon

Ground nutmeg

Violife unsalted vegan butter

Making bourbon peach crumb pie: (1) unbaked vegan flaky pie crust, (2) bourbon peach filling, (3) brown sugar oat crumb, (4) finished pie

For paid subscribers this week, I’ve developed a bourbon peach crumb pie recipe which highlights the best of stone fruit season. Though I’m calling it a peach pie, in reality I used nectarines, which don’t need to be peeled, saving a ton of time and preserving the fruit’s flavor, a lot of which is contained in the skin. However, if you don’t mind peach skin, feel free to use those. The filling is thickened with tapioca starch, which I prefer to other additives like flour because it bakes clear and doesn’t cloud the flavor of the fruit. I like a bit of lemon for brightness, a generous splash of bourbon and vanilla for floral depth, and a dash of warm spice to complement the rich crumb above. The result is a show stopping summer dessert which comes together in less time than your guests will expect when they see it. And I guarantee they will be talking about this one long after the BBQ is over. Subscribe below for this recipe!