Peach Bars

5 from 1 vote

These sweet and buttery peach bars are packed with juicy peaches and topped with a golden, crumbly crust. The easy dough doubles as the base and topping, and the fresh fruit filling adds the perfect blend of sweetness and spice. Perfect for summer desserts, potlucks, or brunch!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Shauna

Ingredients

Crust/Topping

3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup unsalted butter chilled and cut into small cubes
3 eggs lightly beaten

Peach Pie Filling

4 cups fresh peaches peeled and diced into ¾ to 1 inch sized pieces (approximately 4 to 5 large ripe peaches)
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with baker’s spray and line it with a piece of parchment paper, allowing for overhang so you can lift the cooled bars out of the pan to cut. Set aside.
Add the flour, granulated sugar, salt, lemon zest, and cubed butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low until you get pea-sized pieces of butter in the flour.
Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix just until a crumbly dough forms.
Press ⅔ of the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan in an even layer. You can lightly wet your fingertips with cool water to help press the dough into the pan without it sticking to your fingers too much.
Add the diced fresh peaches, light brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Gently stir together until all the peaches are coated in the sugar.
Spread the peach mixture evenly over the bottom crust layer. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the top of the peaches. You will want areas of the peaches to be exposed when baked.
Bake these peach pie bars for 45-50 minutes or until the top crust is lightly golden and the peach pie filling is bubbly. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

If you are using a glass 9×13 baking dish, you can omit the parchment paper and just slice the bars in the dish once cooled completely. You may need to run a sharp knife around the edges of the dish if the sugars have caramelized and stuck to the glass dish.
Mixing the dry ingredients with butter until you achieve pea-sized pieces is the secret to a flaky crust. When adding the peach filling, ensure an even distribution to balance the sweetness. You can make your crust/topping mixture in a food processor or by hand using a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour into pea-sized pieces.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your bars as the suggested baking time approaches.
You can place your pan of cooled peach pie bars into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to help firm them up before lifting them out of the pan with the parchment paper to slice and serve.

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