Peach Crumb Bars are made with a buttery crumbly crust, filled with sweet tart peach filling and topped with crumb mixture. They are always a hit during hot summer days.
Every year around May, my heart begins to crave fresh peaches. Delicious, juicy peaches packed in bags or paper barrels that you can smell their aroma from a corner of the kitchen. In its season, we usually buy a whole barrel, but sometimes peaches ripen quickly in the summer heat, so usually I use half of them to make canning peaches in jars, by this way it can be used gradually to make jams, cakes, bars or peach iced tea.
The heatwave is still around us and there are some fresh peaches left on the kitchen table sitting next to a basket of other summer fruits. Thinking of mom’s dreamy peaches bars right now.
These peach crumb bars look delish, and I usually told my mom that they are like peach cobbler in a bar form. She smiled at me and could not agree with me more. Crumbs on both top and bottom with creamy thick filling in the middle. And if you want to make them even better, try serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
A LITTLE EASIER TO MAKE PEACH CRUMB BARS
These bars are a little easier because there’s just one recipe for both the crust and the topping. After we whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and spices, add in cold cubed butter and mix until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal. You can pulse it in a food processor or use a pastry cutter to make it crumble.
Once the mixture is ready, divide into two equal separate parts. The first part will be pressed into the pan to form a crust and baked for 10-15 minutes before adding the filling. The second part has extra flour and brown sugar added and is tossed until medium clumps form to make the streusel topping. You can add more spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or other nuts or oats in the topping mixture or omit it depending on your personal preference.
PEACH FILLING
While the crust cools down, prepare the filling. The filling tastes pie-like, made with a few basic ingredients like chopped fruit, sugar, vanilla extract and spices. To make peach filling, place all chopped peaches in a saucepan, followed by sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon for extra flavor. To make it sweet and tart, I add teaspoons of lemon juice and cook until the filling becomes thickened and syrupy. You can replace granulated sugar with brown sugar, either light or dark to bring out the more caramel-like flavor.
STORING AND FREEZING
Keep the peach crumb bars in an airtight container in the fridge. Stored like this, they will last for up to a week (if they survive that long)!
Alternatively, you can also freeze the individual slices by double wrapping them plastic wrap and storing them in a freezer bag. Before consuming let them thaw gradually in the fridge overnight or on the counter.
More Peach Recipes:
Peach Crumb Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Crust And Topping
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup (2 sticks/226g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
For The Peach Filling
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (about 5-6 peaches/1-1.5 pounds) peeled, and chopped peaches
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease an 8-inch square pan or line with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides for lifting the bars out of the pan after baking. Set aside.
- To make the crust: Combine flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and starts to come together. You can use a pastry cutter to crumble all ingredients. Press firmly half of the mixture in the prepared baking pan to form a crust and reserve half of the crumb mixture in another bowl for the topping. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. While the crust is baking, make the filling.
- To make the filling: Peel the peaches and chop the peaches into 1/2 inch chunks. In a saucepan, combine the peaches, salt, lemon juice and sugar. Over medium heat, bring the peaches to a boil, then continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool.
- To make the topping: add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour to the reserved crumb mixture and toss with your fingers to combine until large clumps of dough are formed. Spoon the peach filling on top of the baked crust and spread it around into one even layer, then sprinkle the streusel topping evenly on top of the peach filling.
- Bake bars for about 35-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. You can refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours to let the filling set before cutting into squares.
- Bars can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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