Brown Butter Cornflake Peach Crunch
Juicy peaches bake under a buttery cornflake-oat crunch that is ready for ice cream in 40 minutes.
Prep: 12 · Cook: 28 · Total: 40 · Serves: 6 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.9/5 (147 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
A skillet peach crisp with a cornflake topping for extra crunch and a browned-butter finish.
Story
Peach crisp is already a champion, but this version stacks the deck with browned butter and a cornflake crunch. The fruit goes soft and jammy while the topping stays loud, crisp, and golden around the edges. Serve it warm and loaded with vanilla ice cream for the full roadside-diner finish.
By Theo
Ingredients
- 6 ripe peaches, sliced
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 F. Toss the peaches with brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and vanilla in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, swirling, until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty.
- Stir the cornflakes, oats, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Pour in the browned butter and toss until evenly coated.
- Scatter the crunch mixture over the peaches, leaving a few gaps for steam to escape.
- Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the fruit bubbles at the edges and the topping is deeply golden.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon into bowls and add vanilla ice cream if you are going all in.
Chef Tips
- Crush the cornflakes lightly so some larger pieces stay crisp in the topping.
- Brown the butter in a pale pan if possible so you can see the color change.
- The lemon juice is the flavor swap that keeps the sweet peach filling from tasting flat.
- Frozen sliced peaches work too; add 5 minutes to the bake time and do not thaw first.
Cook's Notes
- Brown the butter slowly so it does not burn.
- Leave a few peach slices exposed so the filling can bubble.
- Let the crisp rest before scooping so the juices thicken.