Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish, a deep 9-inch round dish, an 11 x 7-inch dish, or a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Set aside.
Make the Topping
In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, almonds, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir to completely combine, making sure that there are no dry pockets of flour. Set aside to chill in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
Make the Filling
In a large bowl, gently stir together peaches, cornstarch, brown sugar, and almond extract. Transfer the filling to the prepared dish.
Distribute the topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake the Cobbler
Bake, uncovered, until the juices are bubbling and thickened and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Usefresh or frozen peaches in this crisp. If using frozen peaches, the filling will be a bit more juicy and saucy, but it's still delicious. You do not need to thaw the peaches before adding them to the dish. You may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes to account for the frozen fruit.
Don’t slice the peaches too thin. About ½-inch thick should be perfect. They will break down as they bake, so you don’t want them to completely disintegrate in the oven. Some visible peach slices in your filling are ideal.
When you toss together the filling, make sure that the cornstarch and brown sugar completely dissolves with the juices of the fruit. You shouldn’t see any dry, white, powdery chunks of the cornstarch.
I like to bake this recipe for peach crisp in adeep 10-inch cast iron skillet. Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch square baking dish or an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Any similar dish with a capacity of about 2 - 2.5 quarts is fine.
I useold-fashioned rolled oats, but you can also use quick oats if that's what you have on hand. Do not substitute with steel cut oats.
Cool the crisp for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken slightly as it sets. Serve the warm peach crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat!