Shop CLJ x Poppy & Pout Lip Balm Trio
I’m even more excited to share today’s recipe with you because it’s more than just a dessert—it inspired a lip balm flavor! That’s right, we just launched a collaboration with our friends at Poppy & Pout based on three fall desserts that I developed just for you. We love Poppy & Pout because they’re just great people who created an all-natural lip balm company out of my home state of Idaho. If you want to snag the limited-edition collaboration, get your set here!
Back to the spiced peach crumble, the dessert. I’ve mentioned this before, but peaches are my favorite fruit. I just love ’em. While they’re especially great fresh this time of year, I often use frozen peaches in my cooking since they’re just easier to come by anytime. I like desserts that really let them shine as the star of the show.
Since we’re mostly grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free over here, I often turn to nuts as my flour and texture of choice with desserts. This recipe combines the best of all of those worlds, because peaches and almonds go so well together. They’re actually related botanically—the pit inside a stone of a peach has a bitter almond-like flavor.
The other nice thing is when a dessert comes together in one pan, from stovetop to oven. Grab your trusty cast iron skillet, and you’re ready to roll!
Spiced Peach Crumble Video
If you want to see how beautifully this cooks up, follow along as I take you through the steps in this video.
Prepare the Peaches
To start on the fruit part of the crisp, we dump a bag of frozen peaches (no thawing necessary!) into a 9-inch skillet with a bit of water and cook over medium heat until the peaches soften a little and the water looks more glossy. As it heats, I add some spices. First salt (a flavor enhancer that actually brings out the sweetness) and pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves).
When the mixture is simmering, I reduce the heat and let it cook until it’s bubbling around the edges. Then we add the sweeteners—you don’t need a lot. I use a combo of maple syrup and coconut sugar—this adds great caramelized flavor without making the sauce too watery or dry. Let this reduce until the liquid is thicker.
Make the Crumble Topping
Our nut-based crisp topping is composed of raw almonds and cashews blitzed in a food processor until they’re coarsely ground. I add almond flour, coconut sugar, and some coconut oil to the processor and blend until it’s a crumble-like texture. The coconut oil brings together all the dry ingredients just like a butter would to get those different-size pieces. Plus it adds another slightly nutty component to the dish!
Finish the Peach Crisp
To thicken the peaches and syrup even more, I add a little slurry to the skillet made of tapioca starch (you can also use arrowroot starch if you prefer) and some water. This will help it thicken up even more in the oven. I put the crumble overtop of the peaches to almost cover the whole dish, and then put it in a 400-degree oven on convection setting for 8 minutes. At the very end, I turn the heat to broil and cook for another 2-3 minutes to really toast the nuts at the end.
The smell is just incredible at this point, but you have to resist and let the dessert rest for 30 minutes so it can thicken even more. It’s wonderful served on its own or alongside a dairy-free whipped topping or ice cream.
This spiced peach crumble is like fall in a bowl: it’s so warm and comforting. The nut-based streusel topping crisps up beautifully and adds a wonderful texture. It’s a super-easy dessert with minimal ingredients that are very friendly to a lot of food restrictive diets. I think you’ll enjoy making this one up. Let me know what you think in the comments!