English Peach Pie recipe
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase.
photo: Krista for we heart this
I hate people who don’t share recipes. I especially hate those people who cryptically reply to your request for said recipe with “It’s a family recipe” instead of the ACTUAL recipe. I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize that I would have to resort to a DNA test and/or marriage to get a recipe from you. That being said, I am not one of those people. I have and will continue to shamelessly share any and all family recipes I possess. There aren’t many of them, but what’s mine is yours, ladies.
The recipe I bring to you today is for English Peach Pie. Now, I know some of you are actually picturing a pie right now, which is totally incorrect. This is more of a cobbler than a pie. Why is it called a pie, then? I have no clue. That answer died a few generations ago. You can add it to the mystery of Stone Henge.
English Peach Pie
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix by hand, directly in 13×9 glass casserole dish, the following:
- 2 large cans (29 ounces) peach halves in heavy syrup drained and sliced by hand (I say peach halves because if you use a can of sliced peaches, there aren’t very many slices in the can, but if you use a can of peach halves and slice them yourself, you get more fruit.)
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 T. flour
- 2 tsp. almond extract
Topping:
- 2 c. flour
- 1 c. light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 c. butter, chilled and sliced
– In bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Add sliced butter.
-Using a pastry cutter (a sturdy pastry cutter, not one of those sissy cutters that’s a glorified whisk. I’m pretty sure mine could double as a weapon in a pinch. If you can’t find a pastry cutter, a solid fork will work, it’ll just take longer), work the butter into the flour and brown sugar mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Butter bits should be very small.
-Then, using your hands, press the remaining butter into the crumbs until fully encorporated. Topping will almost resemble a very dry, very loose dough. Crumble pieces of topping onto the peaches until fully and evenly covered.
-Bake for one and a half hours. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least one hour (if you are at all fond of your mouth skin). Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Now with time, things change, and I admit, I have tweaked this recipe a little bit. I doubled the recipe and use the same size casserole dish for a thicker dessert and I cut the sugar because the original recipe called for a full cup of sugar for only one can of peaches, which is a little sickening and I prefer to taste my fruit and not just sugar. Whenever I make this, the hubby finishes it off in a few days, so I think I did something right (or horribly wrong). I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Is there a recipe you’d love to unselfishly share with us? Let us know! We may just want to feature it…
Oh, you’d never get along with me @krista when it comes to recipes. The few recipes that were passed down to me I guard viciously. My grandparents (particularly my maternal grandparents whom have been dead long before I was born) came out of the Depression Era so heirlooms are scarce; hence everyone in my family is fiercely protective of the recipes. You’ll have to pry the Spritz Cookies recipe from my dead fingers. It’s the only recipe I have from my mom’s side; it came from my grandfather’s side which emigrated from Germany to the US.
I think the whole “it’s a family recipe” is more of immigrant and military tradition. Recipes give us a history since most of us lack the traditional heirlooms (i.e. furniture, paintings, pottery etc). It sounds really ridiculous if you haven’t moved to a million cities or from another country, but it’s our way of saying, “This is where you come from” or something to that effect.
I am, however, more lenient with ones I alter from magazines though. I recently gave Karen from MBB my famous Italian Herbed Chicken and cheater version (me? make bread from scratch? I don’t think so. Not with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy in my wrists) of garlic bread.
Went on bit of a ramble sorry. It’s waaaaaaaaay too late to be typing comments I think (it’s 12:40 AM here!).
Ooo! I will absolutely be making the English Peach Pie! Thanks @krista! Seems similar to our family’s Apple Crumble recipe- same premise. Wonder if it would be good with some thick greek yogurt on top? I am obsessed, and put it on/in everything!
I totally hate that too @krista! It is such a weird thing to do. Food is meant to be shared and enjoyed.
So glad you always share with us. Your English Peach Pie looks divine. I must give it a try! Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!
You know what I hate more then people who don’t share? People who call others recipes their own! I marked this as my recipe and it’s really @krista who shared! I edited your comments to be directed at her…
Oooh @Krista , I’m SO GLAD you’re not one of those people! This recipe looks amazing! Those kinds of people drive me nuts, too. The only time I find it excusable is when “it’s a family recipe” means “I have no idea the actual recipe, but my hands know how to make it.”
Thanks for sharing!
Yum! Thanks for sharing @Krista! My family, particularly my dad, loves peach cobbler, so I’m sure they’d love this recipe!
Also, I go back and forth with recipe sharing. I’m a bit guarded about my recipes. I’ll share up to a point. LOL. but on the other hand I’ve been coveting this one fig cookie recipe a friend of friend’s mom has that refuses to share with anyone and it’s drives me insane that she won’t share it with anyone. Not even her own son!
Yum.. this looks insane and not hard at all to make! I’m going to add it to my list of goodies to make! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Butter? Sugar? Peaches? Sounds Delicious – I LOVE peach cobbler. Ugh, it’s just not summer without it. Boo to people who don’t share recipes. Besides, all my grandma’s good ones are in the church cookbooks… :)
@Krista – I’m with you on those bee-yotches who don’t share recipes. Fascists. It’s such a compliment when someone likes something so much that they want to make it again! Geez!
Mmmm…@Stef, have you ever tried this with fresh peaches? With the smell of fresh peaches overwhelming me at the farmers’ markets this time of year, I’m always searching for ways to justify my purchasing (and not wasting) pounds and pounds of these (and plums). Maybe add more sugar?
Oh peaches are my absolute favorite! I would like to see what it’s like with fresh peaches too. They smell sooooo good at the market right now! I almost bought more than I could eat the other day just because of the smell. nom nom nom
Thanks for sharing @Krista
I love sharing recipes and must admit I was almost thrown out of my husband’s family for sharing his Mom’s family sugar cookie recipe with my work colleagues! Oh well, I say eat and be merry, and take whatever recipe you want from my stash! I can’t wait to try this one… I love peaches and this looks utterly devine!
@krista your recipes always looks amazing good. This one is definitely going to go in my recipe file. I’m with you on the recipe sharing. Why keep a recipe a secret when you can share it with others! I’m not much for keeping secrets anyway.
Oh my gosh, that picture is so delicious looking, I want to lick my computer screen!! Thanks for not being a recipe horder and sharing this one!
Hey Erin, I never got that sugar cookie recipe and now I really want it!
I’m happy to hear that (most) of you are big on sharing :) I just don’t see the sense in not sharing a recipe. It’s so stingy! I think it’s such a complement when someone asks for a recipe. It’s not like there’s any harm in sharing and really, you can’t take it with you when you go. If anything, I’m seeing that my family’s “heritage” continues on :)
If anybody makes this with fresh peaches, you’ll have to report back how it worked out for you. I’m too lazy to use fresh peaches, but if someone says it’s the best thing they’ve ever eaten, then I may exert the effort…
Yay for sharing! (Did you guys learn NOTHING from Seasame Street?? :-) )
This looks lovely. On a weird sidenote, I’m not a fruit fan, but I have always loved pies and cobbler because I like eating the crust or topping with the gooey fruity juice goodness, but not the actual filling.
Is that weird?
Yeah, that’s weird. But I’m okay with it.
I’m going to have to put this on my “to-do” list of recipes. We’re moving and I keep running across things that make me go, “I want to make that!” And then I remember I packed up all my dishes. *sigh*
@krista, this looks like a dream dessert– super easy and sooooo delicious! Thank you for sharing!!!
As the resident consumer of said peach pie, this is, without a doubt, a must make. I’ve eaten(and loved) it in every incarnation. The most recent is my favorite. It’s sweet without being overpowering and has ample crumb topping. If you like peaches, this is pretty much a can’t miss recipe.
I’d like to hear how the fresh peaches would turn out. If the attempt is made, I recommend going for the riper variety for the sweetness. Probably a bit harder to peel, but there’s no substitute for the natural sweetness.
GREAT STUFF!!!!!
@Krista – someday I’m just going to pop up at your door and demand you make every recipe you have shared at wht so far. This Peach Cobbler/Pie looks so good – I’m insane for crumbly topped desserts.
@monkeyboy (Mike) – I bet you’re right about using fresh peaches. I think if you used almost overly ripe peaches, cut them up and stirred them in a bowl (maybe add a drop of water and some sugar) then let it sit a bit (like my grandma always did with strawberries) it would be perfect for this recipe (make extra and use it as an ice cream topper!)
@lyssachelle –I’m with you. I like the fruit, but this one is all about the topping for me. Well, the fruit w/ almond adds to it, but the topping is to-die-for. I use this same topping for most of my cobblers (I do add a touch of oatmeal to it for cherry or apple/cranberry cobblers–but I’m not sure if that adds anything “special”)and as a topping for crumb pies (I make one during the holidays w/ sliced fresh pears, sliced apples, and some cranberries that is a crowd pleaser). Now I’m hungry. :)