Brown Betty Recipe
Jun 22, 2017, Updated Aug 18, 2025
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This easy Brown Betty recipe is made in a skillet with juicy peaches and sweet cherries layered between a buttery pecan crumb topping. A simple, old-fashioned dessert perfect for summer. It’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
What Is a Brown Betty?
A Brown Betty is a classic fruit dessert similar to a crisp or crumble, but with one key difference—the sweet, buttery crumb mixture goes both under and over the fruit. Yep, double the goodness.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need fresh, juicy peaches and cherries for the filling, plus pantry staples like flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and pecans to make that sweet, crumbly topping.
How To Make This Brown Betty Recipe
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. It’s basic, but in the best way possible.
Katerina’s Recipe Tips
- Use ripe fruit for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Don’t skip the pecans because they add a toasty crunch.
- For more tartness, add a splash of lemon juice to the fruit.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream (non-negotiable).
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap cherries for berries or nectarines.
- Use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans.
- Make it gluten-free with your favorite GF flour blend.
How to Store & Reheat
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 325°F until warmed through—or sneak a cold spoonful straight from the dish. No shame.
30 minutes into the oven and you end up with this amazingness…
It’s the weekend – no better time than now to make this brown betty!
ENJOY!
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Cherry Peach Brown Betty Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUMBLE
- 1½ cups white, whole wheat all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar, or your choice of artificial sweetener (I’ve used Stevia)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure strawberry extract
FOR THE FILLING
- 3 cups sliced peaches
- 3 cups cherries, pits removed
- ½ cup granulated sugar, or your choice of sweetener (I’ve used honey, stevia, and maple syrup at different times)
- 1 teaspoon pure strawberry extract
Instructions
FOR THE CRUMBLE
- Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine flour, 1/2 cup pecans, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
- Add in the butter and continue to pulse until well incorporated.
- 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.
- Take the remaining mixture from the food processor and transfer it to previously prepared cast iron skillet.
- Spread the mixture evenly over the skillet and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust.
FOR THE FILLING
- Combine peaches and cherries in a mixing bowl and gently stir in the sugar.
- Layer the fruit mixture over the prepared crust.
- Top with the reserved topping and remaining pecans, spreading it evenly over the entire fruit filling.
- 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.
- Serve with ice cream or without.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers.
Nutrition
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.
This looks great Kate! I don’t think there’s ever a bad time for cobbler of any sort – may have to make an apple one this week because we got a bunch in our CSA =)
Wow this sounds awesome with these two fruits lovely verison and put together well!
MN is too cold for stone fruits so I have to settle for the aroma in the grocery store (heady but not the same). I buy 2-4 every day – because they do need to be eaten right away. But maybe I’ll let today’s peaches sit… and tomorrow enjoy a cobbler! Hazelnuts are always a good idea.
Another great dish kate! I love cobbler- peach and cherry sound like a delish combo.
What a fabulous cobbler….the addition of cherries just kicks it up a notch 🙂 I’d like mine with ice cream, but I would never refuse a bowlful with a dollop of whipped cream!
With ice cream it’s definitely NOT too hot for cobbler! 😀
Wow!! This looks amazing. We’ll definitely have to try it out! What a delicious summer dessert, and cooking it in a skillet is so creative!
This looks like a worthy reason to pull out my skillet, yum!
Is it ever really too hot for cobbler? LOL. I love this recipe. And I love that it’s assembled and baked in a skillet. That’s a fun little twist! Fantastic!!!! I’ll take mine with vanilla ice cream. 😉
I am all about this skillet cobbler – no matter what the temperature. Especially with all those hazelnuts.