Blueberry Peach Crumble Crisp

What is the difference between a crisp and a crumble? I'm not exactly sure about that. That is why I'm calling it a crumble crisp. (Would it be more charming if I spelled it crumblecrisp, krumble-krisp, or perhaps a crispumble?) What I am sure about is that this is one of the most gorgeous desserts I have ever made. I started beaming when I saw how pretty these fruits look together. Ripe, fuzzy peaches. Firm, dark as midnight blueberries. Look at that! This crisp looks like twilight meets dawn. Romance for your taste buds. Then I took a bite of this silky, crunchy dessert and I had perma-grin for the next four hours!

And yet, this blueberry peach crumble crisp isn't too sophisticated for a summer evening. Sweet, tangy fruit with a crunchy, cinnamonny, oaty topping, swimming in melting vanilla ice cream, it is the perfect finish for any August meal. Actually, it is the perfect finish for most meals. Honestly, it is even a perfect finish for itself as a meal, which I discovered the next day when I ate it for lunch.

Because it is lovely, warm and oozing with charm, this fruity crisp begs for friends, so as soon as I pulled this precious from the oven I called my best friend Alicia to come partake. And we did partake. Generously. The beautiful blueberry-peach juices cooled into a purply, sweet jelly which clung with the buttery crumble topping on the rim of our spoons, making teeth-skimming of the spoons a must.

Typical crisp/crumble/cobbler recipes have half the amount of topping that I used on this treasure. I like the texture, I like the crunch, I love the way the clumps of topping absorb the fruity juices. I really love that extra topping makes a bowl of this crisp feel like a meal, the virtues of which I extolled before. So, I doubled the original and I have no regrets.

Best of all, this is a simple recipe. Sticky, because peeling peaches is sticky, but very simple. Simply amazing.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 6 peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour

Topping for the Crisp

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 12 tbs cold butter, cubed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine fruit, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and flour in a large bowl. 
3. In a second bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cubed butter and, using your fingers, crumble together with the dry ingredients. (Try not to snack on all of it!)
4. Pour the fruit into the baking dish. Evenly distribute the crumble topping over the fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
5. Serve warm with ice cream or cream, at room temperature with the same, or even cold!

Mmmmm. Bake the crumble crisp. Share by the bowlful.