Sweet Butter Peach Bars (Printer-friendly)
Buttery crust layered with tender spiced peaches and golden cinnamon streusel topping.
# What You'll Need:
→ Crust
01 - 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
02 - ⅔ cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
→ Peach Filling
05 - 3 cups diced fresh or canned peaches (about 4 medium)
06 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
09 - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Cinnamon Streusel
10 - ¾ cup all-purpose flour
11 - ½ cup packed light brown sugar
12 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - ¼ teaspoon salt
14 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt, mixing until the dough just comes together. Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
03 - Bake the crust for 15 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
04 - In a medium bowl, combine the diced peaches, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Stir gently until the peaches are evenly coated and set aside to macerate.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, packed light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and toss with a fork until the mixture forms coarse, crumbly pieces.
06 - Spread the peach filling in an even layer over the par-baked crust. Scatter the cinnamon streusel evenly across the top, covering the peaches completely.
07 - Bake for 25 minutes, or until the streusel topping is deep golden and the peach filling is bubbling at the edges.
08 - Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab out, then cut into 12 even squares.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The buttery shortbread crust alone is worth making this recipe, and it doubles as a foolproof base for any fruit you have on hand.
- That cinnamon streusel topping creates the most satisfying contrast between crunchy and gooey once you bite through a warm square.
02 -
- Cutting into these bars while they are still warm will cause the filling to ooze everywhere and your neat squares will become a messy cobbler situation instead.
- The crust dough will seem too dry and crumbly when you first mix it, but pressing it firmly into the pan with your hands pulls it together perfectly.
03 -
- If your peaches are extremely juicy, add an extra half tablespoon of cornstarch to the filling to prevent a soggy bottom crust.
- Press the crust dough firmly into the corners and edges of the pan first, then fill in the center, because those corner pieces are the first to crumble if the crust is too thin.