I have been looking at a bag of toffee bits in my pantry for a while now.  I was waiting for the perfect recipe to come along – one that would use only what I had left – but all of it.  I remember finding this recipe in Bon Appetit and thinking that it looked really good – and seemed easy to make.  I cut it out and put it in the pile.  Weeks later I actually put two and two together and realized, this was it.  It had called for the perfect portion of toffee bits – the exact amount I had left – it was definitely a sign that I had to make it.

These peach crisps were delicious!  I was making them for my entire family, so I adapted the recipe slightly from the original (from Nick’s Bar & Fish House in New Buffalo, Michigan) to omit the liquor – but this was a very simple way to use up some ripe peaches.  I love the fact that they were made in individual ramekins – everyone got one – perfect portion control. 

Ingredients

• 6 large peaches (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved, pitted, each half cut into 6 wedges
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons toffee bits
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Vanilla Ice Cream

Preparation

Place first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place toffee bits and next 3 ingredients in processor.  Using on/off turns, process topping until moist clumps form.  Divide peach mixture among six 1 1/4-cup ramekins or custard cups.  Place ramekins on baking sheet.  Sprinkle topping over peaches in ramekins, dividing equally.

Bake crisps until juices bubble thickly and topping is crisp, about 1 hour.  Cool slightly.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Toffee, Pecan, and Peach Crisps