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This peach bars recipe features sweet, aromatic peaches in a cinnamon-spiced jammy filling with a buttery, nutty, brown sugar-oat crust and crumb topping. If you want an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert for your next summer gathering, you found it!
One of my favorite things about summer is peach season in general, and Georgia peaches in particular. Oh boy, when I see them, there’s no way I can resist! Recently we bought a couple boxes at Costco. It was more than we could eat out of hand before they started to get a bit too wrinkly and soft, so I wanted to bake with them.
I made sourdough discard peach quick bread, and then debated making peach hand pies or peach granola. But then I dug into my recipe development archives and found a recipe I had started testing last summer: peach crumb bars!
Part peach pie and part peach crisp, these bars are the best of both worlds. They’re easier to make than pie, and easier to transport than either pie or crisp. Peach crumble bars have a buttery oat crust that’s sweetened with brown sugar and laced with vanilla. I used the same crust recipe as my plum bars, but with the addition of pecans for nutty crunch because it’s a lovely pairing with peaches. The filling features fresh, very ripe peaches that are slightly sweetened, accented with cinnamon and nutmeg, and cooked until they form a thick, jammy filling. The combination of flavors is completely irresistible.
These bars are sliceable and portable. They’re sure to be a hit at your next summer potluck, picnic, or cookout!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Reduces kitchen waste. This recipe is a great way to use very over-ripe, soft, wrinkly, older-than-you’d-want-to-eat-out-of-hand peaches. We’re making a jammy peach pie filling anyway!
- Easy to make. Crumb bars aren’t all that different than pies in terms of flavor and texture, but they’re so much easier and less fiddly to make.
- Bakery quality. If you’re a fan of buttery, sweet, aromatic fruit pastries, you’re going to love these fresh peach bars. Cinnamon and nutmeg in the fruit filling and vanilla in the nutty, buttery, brown sugar crust make these every bit as good as something you’d get from a bakery.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Spiced Peach Filling Ingredients
- Fresh peaches – They should be very ripe, soft, and sweet.
- Sugar – A little bit of granulated white sugar pulls out the natural sweetness in the fruit.
- Salt – A smidgeon of salt enhances the peach flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – Just a touch of lemon juice brightens the fruit’s flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – These warm spices pair beautifully with peaches.
- Cornstarch – Here we mix a little cornstarch with cold water to form a slurry to thicken the jammy fruit filling.
Top and Bottom Crust Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – Adds rich flavor and helps this crisp and brown. Make sure the butter is at room temperature.
- Light brown sugar – Buttery brown sugar oat topping that’s laced with vanilla makes these bars smell amazing as they bake.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Flour – The base of our bottom crust and top crumble is half all-purpose flour and half oats.
- Oats – Use old-fashioned rolled oats here for best results.
- Cornstarch – Lightens up the dough just a bit for the perfect texture.
- Salt – It pulls out the rich flavor of buttery and the nuttiness of oats.
- Pecans – Rich, nutty, crunchy pecans are a great pairing with the sweet/tart fruity flavor and intense aroma of peaches. (Georgia peaches and pecans are the best! Those crops grow exceptionally well there, and are a big part of that state’s economy.)
Icing Ingredients
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar is the base of this quick, easy icing recipe.
- Vanilla extract – Just a touch of vanilla in the glaze is enough to take the sweet aroma over the top. It makes these bars smell like something you’d get from a local bakery or a farmers’ market.
- Heavy whipping cream – I wanted a thicker glaze here so it would keep its pretty drizzle lines and doesn’t run off, so I opted for cream instead of milk.
How to Make Peach Crumble Bars With Fresh Peaches
Step 1: Make the Peach Filling:
- Add the peaches, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover the saucepan and cook until the peaches are soft and jammy, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to medium-low, stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch slurry. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Set aside to cool while you make the crust. (TIP: The peach filling will be like a cross between jam (but not as sweet) and peach pie filling (but not as syrupy).)
Step 2: Make the Top and Bottom Crust:
Use a hand-held electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour, oats, cornstarch, and salt, and beat just until combined. Stir in the nuts.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake:
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pan (or equivalent) with a piece of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides.
- Assemble. Press about half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the peach filling evenly onto the dough. Crumble the remaining dough on top of the filling. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats on top.
- Bake and cool. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cool completely (about 2 hours) before icing.
Step 4: Make the Icing:
- Add all ingredients to a small bow and whisk to combine. Drizzle the icing on top of the cooled bars.
- Let the icing set before slicing and serving.
Storage
After slicing, you can store these bars in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips For the Best Peach Bars
- If you don’t have peaches on hand, nectarines or apricots also work beautifully here. The key is that they’re very ripe, soft, and sweet.
- Nut allergy (or you just don’t like them)? No problem! Simply omit the nuts in the crust; you don’t have to make any other changes.
- The vanilla-scented icing drizzled on top is completely optional. It makes these peach bars feel more like a pastry, but they’re still fantastic without it. (SERVING TIP: If you want to skip the icing on top, serve these bars warmed up, topped with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. Bliss. The perfect summer dessert!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You’ll need about 2 1/4 cups of canned peaches, drained, but with 1/4 cup of liquid reserved. Omit the granulated white sugar. Because canned peaches are already cooked, just heat up the peaches with the 1/4 cup of reserved liquid on the stovetop, and then add the spices and cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Yes! You’ll need about 1 cup of peach pie filling.
Absolutely. Frozen peaches are the best substitute here if you don’t have fresh. Use the same amount; there’s no need to thaw them first, they’ll just need to cook for a bit longer (closer to the 10-minute mark).
More Crumb Bar Desserts to Try
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Fresh Peach Crumb Bars Recipe
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Equipment
- 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pan (see Notes)
Ingredients
Spiced Peach Filling:
- 2 1/4 cups chopped fresh very ripe peaches (about 345 grams; no need to peel them)
- 5 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water to form a slurry)
Top and Bottom Crust:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
- 1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats (for the top)
Icing:
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make the Peach Filling:
- Add the peaches, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover the saucepan and cook until the peaches are soft and jammy, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat down to medium-low, stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch slurry. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Set aside to cool while you make the crust. (TIP: The peach filling will be like a cross between jam (but not as sweet) and peach pie filling (but not as syrupy).)
Make the Top and Bottom Crust:
- Use a hand-held electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour, oats, cornstarch, and salt, and beat just until combined. Stir in the nuts.
Assemble and Bake:
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8.5 by 4.5-inch loaf pan (or equivalent) with a piece of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides.
- Assemble. Press about half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the peach filling evenly onto the dough. Crumble the remaining dough on top of the filling. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats on top.
- Bake and cool. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cool completely (about 2 hours) before icing.
Make the Icing:
- Add all ingredients to a small bow and whisk to combine. Drizzle the icing on top of the cooled bars.
- Let the icing set before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Loaf Pan Size: A 9 by 5-inch loaf pan will also work here; just check for doneness around the 40 to 45-minute mark, as they will be a bit thinner.
- Storage: After slicing, you can store these bars in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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