A crisp is the way to go when you’re not in the mood (or don’t have time) to deal with pie dough—it’s an easy route to a memorable dessert. Here, the straightforward filling is a mixture of brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and fresh peaches. Dump everything into a baking dish and top with a generous layer of crunchy oat-and-brown-sugar streusel. Serve with scoops of Cinnamon Ice Cream or a mound of Easy Whipped Cream for a simple end to a warm summer day.

For more, try tackling a homemade pie with Chowhound’s easy pie crust or an apple crisp recipe.

  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 25 mins
  • Active: 25 mins

Ingredients (12)

For the topping:

  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into small pieces

For the filling:

  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (about 5 medium peaches), halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Instructions

For the topping:

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
  2. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. With your fingertips, blend the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until large clumps form and the flour and butter are completely incorporated, about 3 minutes. Crumble the clumps into small pieces the size of kidney beans, then refrigerate the streusel while you make the filling for the pie.

For the filling:

  1. Place the brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the peaches and stir until evenly coated.
  2. Transfer the mixture to an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and arrange it in an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved topping evenly over the peaches.
  3. Bake until the topping is browned and crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Place the dish on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.