Peach Crumb Bars
Peach crumb bars with peach filling and shortbread crumb topping.
Servings 15 people
Calories 384kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Peach filling
- 4-5 cups fresh or frozen peaches cut into pieces or halves
- ½ cup granulated sugar adjust sugar as needed
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Make the peach filling
- Add the peaches into a large saucepan or medium Dutch oven and cook over medium heat. Add the butter, sugar and lemon juice. Cook until soft, stirring with a wooden or high heat spoon occasionally.
- Dissolve the cornstarch into cold water, stir with a spoon. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the peach mixture. Cook over medium heat to thicken. Let the mixture simmer and stir with a wooden or high heat spoon as it thickens. (Note: pie filling will thicken as it cools – so don’t overcook it!)
- Remove the pie filling from the heat, stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. It can be prepped ahead and refrigerated overnight. Let it cool completely before adding to the crumb bars.
Peach crumb bars
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. The mixture will look like crumbs, but hold together when you pinch it with your fingers.
- Press ¾ of the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Spread the peach pie filling over the bottom layer.
- Use your hands to evenly distribute the reserved crumb mixture over the peach pie filling layer.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator.
Notes
Fresh or frozen peaches work great for this recipe. Find frozen peaches in the freezer section at Walmart, wholesale clubs or local grocery stores.
Be sure and turn the baking pan 180-degrees about half way through baking. That ensures it will brown evenly.
Nutrition
Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 702IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg