i made a version of these bars last summer & while they tasted good, the crust was way too soft & crumbly.  kind of defeats the purpose of a bar dessert if you have to eat it up with a plate & fork, don’t you think?

these peach crumb bars have the buttery flavor of a light & tender shortbread, fresh peach filling & are topped off with a sweet & crunchy streusel topping.

best of all?  they don’t fall apart when you pick them up!  no plate & fork necessary…unless you want to top them off with a little ice cream.  in which case, go right ahead.

PEACH CRUMB BARS

makes 24 bars

FOR THE FILLING
5 cups peaches, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 cup sugar
small pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR THE DOUGH
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
small pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cinnamon, nutmeg & sugar for sprinkling

preheat the oven to 375°.  spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray & set aside.

place diced peaches in a large bowl & pour in lemon juice.  toss gently to coat the peaches.  in a separate, small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.  pour the mixture over the peaches & combine carefully.  set aside.

in another large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & cinnamon for the crust.  using a pastry blender (or two butter knives, if you don’t have one), cut in butter.  continue to cut in until well mixed, but small chunks of butter are still visible.  add egg & vanilla.  continue to combine with pastry cutter.  the dough will be crumbly.

add half of the dough mixture to the prepared baking dish.  firmly press into the bottom of the pan to form the bottom crust.  spread the peach mixture evenly over the crust.  with your fingers, crumble the remaining dough over the top of the peach layer.  sprinkle with a little cinnamon, nutmeg & sugar.  bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  allow to cool completely before even thinking about cutting in to bars.

from two peas and their pod