A fun spin on a Brown Betty recipe made in a skillet with juicy peaches and sweet cherries layered between a buttery pecan crumb topping. This is a simple, old-fashioned dessert perfect for summer. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream!
Easy Cherry Peach Brown Betty
Brown Betty, also called Apple Betty, is an old-fashioned fruit dessert similar to an apple crumble or peach cobbler, but with one key difference: The sweet, buttery crumb mixture goes both under AND over the fruit. Yep, that’s double the goodness for crumble lovers!
For this recipe, you’ll need fresh, juicy peaches and cherries for the filling, plus pantry staples like flour, butter, sugar, and eggs to make that sweet, crumbly topping. I add pecans to the crumble for an extra toasty, nutty crunch.
I’ll often bake this cherry-peach Brown Betty when I don’t have enough time to prepare a whole peach pie or cherry pie. This summer dessert is the best of both worlds, and it’s ready in under an hour.
Why Bake This Brown Betty Recipe?
- A quicker alternative to pie. Crisps, cobblers, crumbles, and Brown Betty recipes have all the flavors of a fruit pie, without the need to roll out and bake a pie crust.
- Make it ahead. This stone fruit Brown Betty recipe stores wonderfully in the fridge for a couple of days, so you’ll have leftover Brown Betty to eat for breakfast. Everyone’s a winner!
- The perfect summer dessert. Apple Brown Betty is famously a fall dessert, but I love adapting this easy recipe with fresh summer fruit. Serve it at your next picnic or barbecue with ice cream (non-negotiable).
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients for this easy cherry peach Brown Betty recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for the full list with exact recipe amounts.
- Flour – I like to use white whole-wheat flour. You can also use a gluten-free flour blend.
- Pecans – Chopped walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts also work. For a nut-free crumble, substitute the nuts with rolled oats.
- Sugar – Or your choice of sweetener. I’ve used honey, Stevia, and maple syrup in the past. You’ll need it to sweeten the crumble and filling.
- Butter – Cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes.
- Egg – Not a traditional ingredient, but I find that an egg helps the crumble hold together and makes the texture more like a cobbler topping.
- Oil – Choose a neutral-flavored oil, like canola or vegetable oil.
- Peaches – I love using fresh sliced peaches in this recipe.
- Cherries – Fresh cherries with the pits removed. Swap cherries for fresh berries, like strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, or sliced nectarines if preferred.
- Flavoring Extract (Optional) – A little flavoring takes the topping and filling up a notch. I added strawberry extract. If you’d like, you can add vanilla extract, almond extract, or skip it.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Use ripe fruit. Ripe peaches and cherries will have the maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Don’t skip the pecans. They add a toasty crunch. Or, use old-fashioned, rolled oats instead of nuts if you’re making this nut-free.
- Add lemon. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the fruit filling to brighten the flavors.
- Use an oven-proof skillet. I use a 10-inch cast-iron. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, assemble and bake the Brown Betty in a baking dish instead.
- Spice it up. Ginger would make a yummy addition to this peach dessert. You could also add warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom (I know for a fact that cardamom and stone fruit are a great pair from my plum cardamom jam recipe!)
- Make a fall version. For a traditional apple Brown Betty, substitute the peaches and cherries in the recipe with sliced fall apples or apple pie filling.
FAQ
I used sweet ones for this recipe, but I’ve tried it with sour cherries, and it was just as good.
Yes, you can make the crumble gluten-free using your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Sure. You can make this Brown Betty recipe with frozen peaches, cherries, or both. Thaw the frozen fruit completely and pat it dry with paper towels. This way, it doesn’t make the filling watery.
Instead of peaches and cherries, apples are the classic choice. Or, you can make the Brown Betty filling with more stone fruit like nectarines or plums, pears, or fresh berries.
While both are baked apple desserts, a crisp has a crunchy oat topping, while a Brown Betty traditionally has breadcrumbs or graham cracker crumbs layered in between the fruit.
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For the Crumble:
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Prep. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and set aside.
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Mix the dry ingredients. Combine flour, 1/2 cup pecans, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
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Add butter. Add in the butter and continue to pulse until well incorporated.
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Add the remaining ingredients. Add egg, canola oil, and strawberry extract to the food processor; continue to run the food processor until the mixture is combined and clumpy. Measure out 1 cup of the crust mixture and set aside.
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Make the crust. Take the remaining mixture from the food processor and transfer it to the previously prepared cast-iron skillet. Spread the mixture evenly over the skillet and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust.
To Assemble:
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Make the fruit filling. Combine peaches and cherries in a mixing bowl and gently stir in the sugar. Layer the fruit mixture over the prepared crust.
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Add the topping. Top with the reserved topping and remaining pecans, spreading it evenly over the entire fruit filling.
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Bake. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 20 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
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Enjoy! Serve with ice cream or without. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 58.5g | Protein: 5.6g | Fat: 20.3g | Saturated Fat: 4.8g | Cholesterol: 38.8mg | Sodium: 155mg | Fiber: 4.2g | Sugar: 36.6g
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make a Cherry Peach Brown Betty
You’ll pulse together the flour mixture in a food processor, layer it underneath and on top of your fruit, and bake until golden and bubbly. Making a Brown Betty is simple, but in the best way possible!
- Make the crumb. Pulse the flour with ½ cup of pecans, sugar, and salt in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Then, pulse in the cubed butter, followed by the egg, oil, and flavoring extract. Blend until the mixture clumps together. Set aside 1 cup of the crumb mixture.
- Shape the crust. Press the remaining crumble mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a greased oven-proof cast-iron skillet.
- Make the filling. Next, toss the cherries and sliced peaches with sugar. Layer the filling over the crust, and sprinkle the reserved crumble on top. Garnish with the other ½ cup of chopped pecans.
- Bake. This peach and cherry Brown Betty goes into a 400ºF oven for 15 minutes, after which you’ll lower the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for another 20 minutes. Cool the dessert for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
No Blender?
If you don’t have a food processor or blender to make the crumble, crush the nuts inside a resealable bag using a rolling pin. Then, mix the ground nuts with the dry ingredients, and cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter before adding the remaining ingredients.
How to Store and Reheat
- Refrigerate leftovers. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven. Reheat the Brown Betty in the oven at 325°F until warmed through, or sneak a cold spoonful straight from the dish. No shame.
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