Peach Crumb Bars: Sweet fresh peach filling sandwiched between a double-duty shortbread-like crust and crumb topping make these crumb bars a summer favorite!
Many moons ago, I made strawberry crumb bars. Man, were those bars delicious! And as soon as I made them, I knew there could be so many incredible variations on that recipe that would take advantage of other fruit that was in season throughout the year.
Like like blackberry lime crumb bars in the height of summer’s blackberry season. And these apple cider caramel crumb bars when the leaves are changing and the apple orchards are bustling.
You get my drift, right?
Why it’s taken me so long to make these peach crumb bars then, I have no idea! I mean, it’s been 8 years since I made those strawberry crumb bars for goodness sake!
And you KNOW I love my peach recipes! Cobbler three times over, scones, cake, jam, butter, pie, bbq sauce, etc. etc. etc.
I simply can’t give a reason for the lack of a peach crumb bar recipe on this site. Not a good reason anyway. But here we are now! Bygones and all of that, yes?
These peach crumb bars are a stellar addition to my crumb bar repertoire (which also includes caramel and pumpkin, by the way!) and I’m so thrilled to finally share it with you!
What is a Crumb Bar?
So first off, let’s chat about what a crumb bar actually is. Put simply, a crumb bar is a layered dessert bar.
The top and bottom layers are often made with a shortbread-like dough. The dough forms a firm base for the bar on the bottom and it’s crumbled on top to form loose crumbs when baked.
My go-to crumb bar recipe is made with a double-duty dough. This means that you’ll make one dough and use it for the bottom base and top crumble layers. It’s a super easy way to make crumb bars!
The middle layer is usually a fruit filling. Though, chocolate, caramel, and chocolate-fruit versions are also popular as well.
How to Make Peach Crumb Bars
To make these peach crumb bars, preheat your oven to 375° F.
Then mix up the dough for the top and bottom layers in a large bowl with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and lemon zest. It’s a loose dough but when you press it into the pan to form the crust layer, it will hold together nicely.
Next, you’ll mix diced fresh peaches with cornstarch and lemon juice to make the filling. There’s no need to peel the peaches for this summer dessert recipe. We’re keeping it really simple here!
After you press the dough into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan for the crust, spread the peaches out over the crust, and then crumble the remaining dough over the peaches.
You’ll bake these bars for 45 to 50 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the crumbs on top are lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before slicing and serving. They’re pretty messy if you try to cut them before they are completely cool.
Overall, these bars are quite easy to make!
Peach Crumb Bars for a Potluck
As you can imagine, these crumb bars would be perfect as a potluck dessert. Likewise, they would make a great dessert for all of your summer bbq, cookout, party, and picnic needs too!
Baked in a 13×9-inch pan, you’ll get 2 dozen 2-inch square bars. If you need 3 dozen bars, you can increase the recipe by 50% and bake two-thirds of the ingredients in a 13×9-inch pan and the remaining one third in a 9-inch square pan. The smaller pan will need to bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
If you need to double the recipe, bake the ingredients in 2 equal batches in 2 13×9-inch pans.
Disposable aluminum pans will work great for this recipe too so you don’t have to bring your “good” baking pans to someone else’s house and risk forgetting them there. (Been there!)
So go forth this summer, my friends, and make these peach crumb bars a part of your summer baking routine. I know they’ll be a staple of my summer bakes for years to come!
Peach Crumb Bars
Peach crumb bars are an all-American summer baking star recipe. With a sweet fresh peach filling sandwiched between a double-duty shortbread-like crust and crumb topping, this is the perfect dessert to bring to potlucks, picnic, bbqs, cookouts, and parties.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Heavy ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 2 sticks (½ lb) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 5 cups fresh peaches, pitted and chopped into ½-inch pieces (5 to 6 peaches)
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 13×9 inch pan; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, flour, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest with a whisk or fork. Cut in the butter and egg with a pastry blender (or two knives if you don’t have one) until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly and a little sandy without too much loose flour. Spread half of the dough in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust.
- In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Mix in the chopped peaches with a rubber spatula until the peaches are coated with the cornstarch mixture. Spread the peach mixture and any accumulated juices evenly over the bottom crust.
- Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the top of the peaches, pressing it together with your fingers a little as you drop it over the peaches.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and top is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares and serving.
Storage: The crumb bars will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Any longer, store them in the refrigerator.
Notes
heavily adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Recommended Products
As a member of the Amazon Associate affiliate program, I earn a small percentage from your qualifying Amazon purchases when you click the Amazon links on this page. I'm not informed of who purchases what, just of what products are purchased.
No comments yet.