BARS – FEBRUARY 20, 2024

Peach crumb bars

This small batch recipe for Peach Crumb bars has a sweet and juicy peach filling and a delicious buttery crust and crumb topping. Think peach cobbler made into bars.

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This small batch recipe for Peach Crumb Bars has a delicious buttery crust and topping, and a juicy peach filling. In addition, the cinnamon notes in the peach filling work wonderfully well with the buttery crust and the delicious sweet flavor of peaches. The flavors on these bars will have you yearning for summer before we even hit spring. 

The trick for these bars is to use just-ripe peaches, making sure they are not overly ripe and soft or it will turn out like a peach cobbler.

This recipe follows some of the procedures and structures from my Lemon Blueberry Bars. A recipe that has been a total hit in 2023.

Why you will love them?

For starters, this recipe is very easy to make. The crust and the top crumb are made basically at the same time in the food processor, and you use a portion for the base and another for the crumb topping. In addition, the buttery crumb is gorgeous! Thanks to the butter and the egg yolk it becomes this crispy, delicious base and topping that snaps softly when biting into it.

For the most part, this recipe can be made year-round with frozen peaches in case your area of town does not have fresh peaches in season at the stores. The peach filling will caramelize, becoming thicker and glossy, just like jam. 

In fact, this is a small batch recipe and you can easily just double the ingredients and use a 9×13 pan for a larger serving of about 15 squares. However, if sticking to the small batch, use a 9×5 pan or similar.

Gluten-free option: Alternatively, you can easily turn this recipe gluten-free by substituting the flour amount with all-purpose gluten-free 1:1 flour.  Still, this recipe also uses oats, so make sure that you have gluten-free certified oats.

Ingredients to make Peach Crumb Bars:

Here are the simple ingredients you will use:

Crust and Crumb:

• Butter: unsalted, cold, and cubed so that it incorporates well and creates a crumbly top.
• Sugar: white sugar is the choice in this recipe to sweeten without adding moisture to our crust.
• Salt: deepens the buttery flavor.
• Egg yolk: enriches your crumble.
• Flour: all-purpose as it keeps the dough light for the perfect crumb. Can substitute for all-purpose gluten-free 1:1 flour.
• Rolled oats: adds nutty flavors to the bars. Can substitute with steel-cut oats if you don’t have a food processor, or with all-purpose flour. For a gluten-free option, ensure your oats are certified gluten-free.
• Powdered sugar: this is optional to sprinkle on top and make your bars extra pretty.

Filling

• Peaches: Frozen peaches work wonders, bearing a thick filling. Fresh peaches can also be used, with a longer cooking time or additional cornstarch for thickening.
• Sugar: Sweetens the filling to perfection.
• Cinnamon: adds a touch of cinnamon flavor which pairs perfectly with peaches.
• Cornstarch: A key player in thickening the filling, activated during the baking process.
• Lemon juice: Brightens the filling, accentuating the refreshing peach flavor and interacting with pectin in fruit to help the filling set.

Tips for making the best Peach Crumb Bars:

1. Mix the crumb ingredients until just combined. After incorporating the butter, the crumb should resemble wet sand and stick together when you press it. 
2. When adding the crumb on top of the peaches, leave it in medium-sized clumps for better texture. Too small and they may stick together in an even layer, and too big and they may not crisp up in the oven or take longer to brown. 
3. Using frozen peaches will give you a thicker filling, this is also important to not end up with a soggy crust. Otherwise, for fresh peaches, use firm ripe peaches, not overly ripe soft peaches, and bake a little longer, until the filling looks like a thick jam and the crust is golden brown. 
4. Bake the base first for about 10 minutes to give it some advantage before adding the filling ingredients. Especially with fresh peaches. This helps ensure a crunchy base that holds itself and the toppings better. 
5. If you don’t have a food processor and don’t like the texture of large oats in your crumb, you can also use steel-cut oats.
6. You can double the recipe and use a 9×13 pan for more servings (about 15).

If you like this recipe in its gluten-free option, check out my other Gluten-free recipes here.

Peach Crumb Bars

Author: Seidy

This small batch recipe for Peach Crumb bars has a sweet and juicy peach filling and a delicious buttery crust and crumb topping. Think peach cobbler made into bars.

You can double the recipe and bake in a 9×13' pan for more servings.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Cooling time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 bars

Ingredients

  

Crust and Crumb

• ½ cup butter cold and cubed (1 stick, 4 oz or 113grams)
• ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 180 grams – can substitute with gluten-free flour 1:1.
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 egg yolk
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar – optional to sprinkle on top

Peach Filling

• 4 large peaches peeled and diced (about 2 to 3 cups)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 110g
• ½ tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

 

Crust and crumb base dough:

• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease and line a 9×5” pan or loaf pan leaving a parchment paper overhang on the sides (use a 9×13” pan for double recipe).
• In a large bowl or the food processor add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until well combined.
• Add the cut cold butter pieces and pulse until it resembles wet sand. Add the egg yolk, and the vanilla extract and process for a few seconds just until a dough forms and set aside. Do not overmix.

Peach Filling:

• In a small bowl, toss together the diced peaches, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice until the peaches are well coated.

Assembly:

• Add ⅔ of the dough into the prepared pan and using your hands or a spoon press firmly and evenly around the bottom of the pan.
• Add the filling mixture on top, distributing evenly.
• Using your hands, press together handfuls of the remaining crumb topping to create clumps and sprinkle them over the peach filling.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the top is light golden brown.
• Allow cooling for 20 minutes before unmolding. Gently pull the parchment paper by the overhang and lift the bars, transferring to a serving plate. With the help of a small sieve, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
• Cut them into squares and serve. Store at room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Video

Keyword Dessert bars, Peach Bars, Peach Crumb Bars, Peach Desserts

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