Summer is the perfect time to bake with peaches, and these Peach Crumble Bars are no exception! Chewy and gooey bars filled with ripe, juicy peaches and a buttery crumble topping and crust. The perfect summertime dessert!
It’s crazy to me that summer is winding down. And by crazy I mean I am SO GLAD.
Hey, when you live in a climate that rival’s the sun’s atmosphere, you get excited over little things like fall and reasonable weather. I am looking forward to not melting when I go outside. Or getting an instant migraine. Or feeling like I am being burnt to a crisp despite 19 layers of sunscreen. You know, the simple things ?
ANYWAY. I know summer is a touchy subject because not everyone lives in an inhabitable climate like I do (still wondering why I live here…). If you’re holding onto summer with a death grip still, I’ve got you with some more recipes before I do a full on fall launch. Have no fear!
These Peach Crumble Bars definitely qualify for a summer recipe because they use up all those seriously gorgeous, bountiful summer peaches the grocery stores are abundant with! Each time I enter a market around here, the aroma of peaches and nectarines greets me with their beautiful scent. They’re just so perfect this time of year and I knew I had to squeeze in one good peach recipe before summer ends.
This is that good summer peach recipe folks!
I’ve made several iterations of these crumble bars and this one may be one of the best in my humble opinion. The peaches really are the shining star here. I’m not a huge fruity dessert person (save for a Dutch apple pie) and I go bonkers for any kind of crumble, but I made sure these crumble bars were made so the focus was on the fruit filling.
The Crumble
The crumble and the crust come from the same one-bowl recipe which I love. There’s nothing more annoying to me than making separate crumbles and crusts for some reason. It consists of your usual suspects: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, egg, and a splash of vanilla for some flavor and sweetness.
The Filling
The filling is made with ripe, juicy summer peaches that you’ll peel and dice into bite-size pieces. The easiest way I’ve found to peel peaches is by using the boiling and blanching method. You simply put a big pot of water on the stove to boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Gently and carefully lower the peaches into the simmering water and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove immediately and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water. The peels should slip right off with very little work. Then you can chop up as normal. You’ll add in some sugar for sweetness, cornstarch as a thickener, a little lemon juice, and some ground cinnamon to punch up the flavor as well.
These Peach Crumble Bars are seriously amazing – gooey, chewy, irresistibly juicy and filled with bright, summery peach flavor. You’re going to love them!
Peach Crumble Bars
These Peach Crumble Bars are seriously amazing! Bright, fresh, juicy summer peaches nestled in buttery crust and crumbly bars that are surprisingly simple to make. You’ll love these fantastic bars!
Ingredients
For the Crust & Crumble:
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Peach Filling:
- 5 large peaches, peeled and diced into bite-size pieces (about 5 cups’ worth diced peaches)
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (can increase to 1½tsp if you like it more spiced)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Line a 9×13 light metal rectangular baking pan with foil or parchment paper, extending the foil or parchment over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil or parchment with cooking spray; set aside.
For the crust: In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour together until combined. Add in the cubed cold butter, lightly beaten egg and vanilla. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs/small pebbles. Mixture will be crumbly.
Press half of the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, using your hands to compress it into a nice, even layer. Set aside briefly.
Meanwhile, in another large bowl, combine the diced peaches, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon with a spoon until tossed. Pour the peach filling over the crust in an even layer. Liberally sprinkle the remaining crumble topping evenly over the peach layer.
Bake for 38-45 minutes or until the topping is light golden brown and bubbly and the center appears set. Cool completely at room temperature for 1-2 hours before cutting into bars, or you may refrigerate.
Notes
The fastest way I learned to peel peaches is to boil and blanche them. To do this, bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Carefully lower the peaches into the pot and simmer for 30 seconds. Immediately remove the peaches from the simmering water and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water, submerging them completely to blanche them. The peels should slip off pretty easily.
I know these fruity and juicy peach bars will soon become your family’s favorite!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
