Peach Brown Betty
Simple as can be, this peach variation of the brown betty is phenomenal. The buttered bread crumbs and sweet peaches culminate in a perfect summer dessert.
If you are looking at the title of this recipe wondering what on earth a brown betty is, don’t worry, I promise it is edible!
More than edible, actually, it is downright delicious. According to more knowledgeable sources than I, a brown betty is simply fruit (sometimes in pudding form) topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked to golden perfection.
Although it is ofttimes described as being similar to a cobbler or bread pudding, I found it to be similar also to a fruit crisp.
Simple as simple can be, this peach variation of the brown betty was phenomenal.
The aforementioned buttered bread crumbs combined with the caramelized, sweet peaches culminated in a perfect summer dessert, especially with this ice cream on the side.
Peach Brown Betty
Ingredients
Topping:
- 4 slices thick and hearty bread, white or whole wheat (I used whole wheat and it added a fantastic heartiness)
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Peach Filling:
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- 3 ½ pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges (you can substitute 3 pounds of frozen peaches that have been thawed and drained)
- ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (71 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure an oven rack is in the middle position. In a food processor, pulse the bread and butter until it is coarsely ground. Set aside. Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- In a large nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the peaches, cooking them until they begin to caramelize, 8 to 12 minutes. I didn’t see massive signs of caramelizing but cooked them for about 11-ish minutes until they were starting to soften up and become juicy and tender. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in 1 cup of the bread/butter crumb mixture, the sugars, lemon juice, vanilla and salt.
- Top the peach mixture with the remaining bread crumbs and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country June/July 2010
I had a bunch of peaches to use up from my tree. I made this recipe with all the soft ones with blemishes. Holy moly!!! This was so good! I loved how the edges were caramelized and crunchy in the end. Delicious!!! Surprised it didn’t have more reviews, so I had to comment. I think you should add this to the recipes the world forgot! It’s that (peachy) time of year after all!!! Comes together quick too!
You never disappoint
I only had 4 medium peaches so added a bunch of strawberries. Pulled some old fruit bread from the freezer and the combination was awesome. I used my iron frying pan and didn’t bake for total time as it got brown quickly
What a great and quick dessert. Good the next morning too
Can’t wait until I try this recipe just like grandma made all the time for me as I was growing up
This was great!
Yay, I can’t wait to try it tomorrow!!!!!!! Your description has made me very excited for that first bite! Will do with homemade vanilla ice cream too.
Oh my heavens was that good!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Made this recipe using canned peaches , just cut down the cooking time of peaches by half. Turned out awesome. Thanks for this recipe.loved it.
Made this tonight. It was so EASY….and perfect! I always change up recipes but this one is perfection! 🙂
Is this from Cook’s Country??? Thanks for the subscription to that magazine!!! I made this tonight. Its currently cooling and I cannot wait. I was practically drinking the sauce while it was cooking!
I am going to make this to go with Sunday’s dinner and use my bottle peaches. Then I will make it again when Utah peaches come on.
i love fruit desserts, and the brown betty’s no exception. it’s rare, though–i’m glad you broke it out for us!
I will be making this as soon as Utah peaches are ripe!
Sounds good and except for having to clean up the food processor this is a snap. My kinda dessert.
~ingrid
Could you use bottled (not canned, but home bottled) peaches for this?
Stephenie – I’m guessing that would work, but you will definitely want to cut down on the sauteing time because they will turn to mush if cooked too long. I’d give them a quick saute in the pan (they may not caramelize all the way) and then bake the betty in the oven.
Ooh, yum! My “this-is-how-a-peach-should-taste” peaches should be coming in the beginning of August. I think I will have to make this to use up those bad boys!!
I am astounded that you got an attractive picture of this! I think crisps & casseroles are so hard to photograph.
I’ve heard of an Apple Brown Betty thanks to King of the Hill, but I’ve never heard of a peach version. It looks scrumptious!!
This sounds delicious! I love baked peach desserts.
They are all variations on Cobbler. A Brown Betty is baked fruit with layers of buttered bread crumbs. A Buckle is fruit cooked with yellow cake batter, A Crisp is fruit topped with a mixture of butter-sugar-flour-oats, a Grunt (in New England a Slump) is fruit topped with biscuit dough and cooked on the stove to a dumpling-like texture (The name is explained as the noise made by someone wolfing down the deliciousness or alternately that in a skillet on the stovetop it makes a grunting sound as it cooks) and a Pan Dowdy is a cobbler where the dough is pressed into the fruit making an uneven (dowdy) appearance.
I have never had a “brown betty” before..this sounds easy and wonderful..I just have to wait till the peaches are out and about here in PA…thanks! and YUM!
I’ve heard of brown betties but never had one. Looks yummy! Reminds me of peach cobbler.
I love fruit crisps, but I have never had a brown betty. My local farmstand has amazing peaches and this would be a great dessert to make with them! Thanks for sharing even when you are on vacation, Melanie! 🙂
I have had cobblers, but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a true brown betty! I think I would like it best with peaches though and this looks delicious.