These peach pie bars offer the delightful essence of a traditional summer peach pie without the fuss of crafting and baking a homemade pie crust. The simple, buttery crust serves as both a base and a crumble topping, eliminating the need for chilling, rolling, or trimming!
The crust, reminiscent of shortbread, complements a luscious peach filling perfectly. This recipe is perfect for summer baking—it’s fast, straightforward, and highlights the deliciousness of ripe seasonal fruit.
How to Choose Peaches
Use your senses to determine the ripeness of a peach—it should emit a sweet and fragrant aroma, and its skin should exhibit a deep yellow color. When gently pressed, the flesh should yield slightly without being too soft.
The ripening time for unripe peaches can vary depending on their firmness and the temperature of your kitchen, sometimes taking up to a week. To accelerate ripening, place the peaches in a brown paper bag. This will trap the natural ethylene gas that peaches emit, hastening the ripening process.
How to Store Peaches
The most effective method for ripening peaches is to leave them on the kitchen counter at room temperature. If you’re not yet ready to use ripe peaches, they can be refrigerated for a few days to delay further ripening, as the cold temperature slows down the process.
Alternatively, ripe peaches can be frozen by pitting and slicing them, then flash freezing on a parchment-lined baking sheet before transferring them to a freezer bag. They will remain fresh for up to 3 months when frozen this way.
How to Make This Recipe Using Frozen Fruit
Although fresh peaches are recommended, frozen peach slices can also be used to make peach pie bars as a substitute for fresh ones. These frozen slices can be used directly from the freezer without thawing. If you choose to use frozen fruit, the bars may need an additional 10 to 15 minutes of baking time.
Peach Crumb Bars
PREP TIME20 mins
COOK TIME50 mins
TOTAL TIME70 mins
SERVINGS16 servings
YIELD12 to 16
Peeling the peaches is optional; slicing them thinly and baking will likely make the peel unnoticeable in the final bars.
Ingredients
For the crust and crumb topping
- 1 3/4 cups (230g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for the pan
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the peach filling
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 medium peaches (about 1 pound), pitted and sliced thinly
Method
- Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square pan with butter. Line the bottom and two sides of the pan with parchment paper, ensuring an overhang on both sides.
- Prepare the crust and crumb topping: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add cold, cubed butter and vanilla extract, then use your fingers to blend the mixture until it clumps together when squeezed. Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture for the crumb topping.
- Press the remaining mixture into the pan to form an even layer. Set aside as you make the peach filling.
- Make the peach filling: Whisk together egg, sour cream, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Toss sliced peaches in the mixture until coated.
- Spread the peach filling evenly over the crust.
- Add the crumb topping: Sprinkle the reserved 3/4 cup crumb topping evenly over the peach mixture. For larger crumb pieces, squeeze the mixture in your hand before sprinkling, aiming for mostly pea-sized pieces.
- Bake the bars: Bake until the crumble topping is pale golden and crisp, approximately 50 minutes. Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
- Storage: Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Once sliced, the bars freeze well for up to 3 months.