Cinnamon's August Peach Crisp

Dear Readers,

Work is coming along great on Missing in Christmas River, the ninth book in the Christmas River series. It's been so fun being back in Christmas River, and I can't wait to share this latest installment with you guys. I'm shooting for a September release for it - which should be perfect timing considering the story's plot line.

But, since I've been putting in many long hours lately at the computer, I thought a bit of a break was in order. So last Sunday, I gave myself part of the day off and spent the afternoon in the kitchen - whipping up a delicious peach crisp!

Cinnamon would tell you that nothing beats a perfectly-baked pie. But there's something to be said for the greatness of a crisp, also. Crisps end up being about half the work as a pie, and in my opinion, are equally flavorful. With a juicy fruit filling and a buttery, crunchy topping, it's hard to go wrong. This recipe is for a peach crisp - the absolute perfect dessert for an August evening. It's so flavorful and delicious, I think it's got even Cinnamon convinced!

 August Peach Crisp

(Makes one 9 x 13 casserole dish of crisp)

Filling
6 large, ripe peaches (cut into medium-sized chunks)
1/2 a large lemon, juiced and zested
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tsp bourbon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss peach chunks (no need to peel peaches) with lemon juice and lemon zest. Add flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine, then mix in bourbon. Taste to check on sweet/sour ratio and add more sugar or more lemon juice if necessary. Set aside. 

Topping

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 sticks of cold, unsalted butter

Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut butter into small chunks and cut into mixture until the pieces become pebble-sized and small. Sprinkle mixture over fruit filling until completely covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes - until the top turns golden and the fruit filing starts bubbling up at the sides. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. 

Enjoy on a beautiful August evening!

Hope all of you have a great month! I'll be posting more updates about the latest Christmas River book soon, so stay tuned!

MM