Telling Myself I'm On a Health Kick

It's still a dessert. It still has sugar and butter. But, hey, there are pieces of fresh fruit in there... and the topping tastes like granola. That counts for something, right?

Around here we love fruit cobblers and fruit crisps. Each year during peach season we help ourselves to lots of these warm desserts. I have a "go-to" recipe for peach crisp that we all enjoy. But today, I decided to try something a little different. You see, I had some Cinnamon Honey Butter still in the fridge and I wanted to use it up. So... I decided to use it instead of just regular butter when making the topping for the Peach Crisp. It definitely changed the flavor and the texture (what with the honey in it). I'm not sure Mr. Doughboy liked it. It's different and his first reaction to different is, well, doubtful. But, the more I ate it, the more I liked it.

Here are some of the differences I found: This topping comes off a bit chewy, like some honey granola bars. There isn't a lot of liquid in the fruit/sugar mixture, so the texture of the peaches is front and center along with the taste. The honey definitely makes it a different type of sweet. The pecans also give it a bit more flavor that what your brain is expecting. All in all, I like it. The granola taste gives it a breakfast-y kind of option, too. I had some this morning, at room temperature. It was yummy.

Granola Peach Crisp (enough to fill a 2-quart casserole dish)

For the filling:

4-5 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

For the topping:

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C light brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C + 2 Tbsp oatmeal

1/4 C Cinnamon Honey Butter, cut into pieces

1/4 C pecan pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and spread evenly.

In a medium bowl, combine all the topping ingredients EXCEPT the pecans. Use your hands to mix together, incorporating the butter until the topping mixture is a bit lumpy. Crumble topping over the fruit mixture. Sprinkle the top with pecan pieces.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. If you'd prefer, you can serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.