The Best Easy Homemade Peach Crumb Bars

Are you looking for the absolute perfect way to turn a bounty of fresh, juicy summer peaches into a delicious, easy-to-share treat that everyone will love? Get ready to fall in love with these incredible, buttery, and completely irresistible Homemade Peach Crumb Bars!

This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a celebration of summer in a beautiful, portable bar. We’ll show you how to create a sweet, jammy, and warmly spiced fresh peach filling, and how to sandwich it between a tender, buttery shortbread crust and an addictive, crunchy crumble topping. The best part? The crust and the topping are made from the exact same, easy-to-make dough! It’s the ultimate simple, rustic, and crowd-pleasing summer bake.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview: The Perfect Summer Baking Project

What makes these Peach Crumb Bars a timeless favorite is the brilliant “all-in-one” dough that serves as both the sturdy base and the delightful crumble topping. This clever technique makes the recipe incredibly easy and efficient. The filling, made with fresh, seasonal peaches, bakes into a thick, luscious, jammy layer that is perfectly complemented by the buttery, cinnamon-spiced crumble. They are the perfect treat for picnics, potlucks, bake sales, or a simple afternoon snack.

Metric	Time / Level
Total Time	1 hour 45 minutes (includes cooling)
Active Prep Time	20 minutes
Difficulty Level	Easy
Servings	12 bars

The Essential Ingredients for the Best Peach Bars

This recipe uses a handful of simple, classic pantry staples to let the beautiful flavor of fresh peaches shine.

• The All-in-One Crumble Dough: This is the genius, time-saving component that acts as both the crust and the topping.
  • Cold Unsalted Butter: It is crucial to use cold, cubed butter. When you “cut” the cold butter into the dry ingredients, it creates tiny, flour-coated pockets of fat. As the bars bake, these pockets melt and create steam, resulting in a crust and topping that is wonderfully tender, short, and crumbly.
  • All-Purpose Flour, Sugars, and Leavening: All-purpose flour provides the structure, white sugar provides the sweetness, and a little baking powder gives the crust and crumble a slight lift and tenderness.
  • Egg Yolk and Cold Water: An egg yolk adds richness, tenderness, and binding to the dough, while a tablespoon of ice-cold water helps to bring it all together into the perfect crumbly consistency.
• The Juicy Peach Filling: This is where all the fresh, summery flavor comes from.
  • Fresh Peaches: For the best flavor and texture, you want to use ripe but still firm fresh peaches. This will ensure they become tender and sweet during baking without turning into a watery mush.
  • Lemon Juice: A tablespoon of fresh lemon juice is a crucial ingredient. Its acidity brightens the flavor of the peaches and prevents the fresh-cut fruit from browning.
  • Flour & Spices: A couple of tablespoons of all-purpose flour is our simple thickener, transforming the peach juices into a beautiful, jammy sauce. A warm and aromatic blend of cinnamon and nutmeg is the classic and perfect complement to the sweet peaches.

Pro Tutorial: The Easiest Way to Peel Peaches

For the best, smoothest texture in your filling, it’s best to peel your peaches. The “blanching” method is the quickest and easiest way!

1. Prep: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water.
2. Score: Use a small knife to gently score a shallow “X” on the bottom of each peach.
3. Blanch: Carefully lower the peaches into the boiling water for just 30 to 60 seconds.
4. Shock: Immediately use a slotted spoon to transfer the peaches to the ice water bath to stop the cooking.
5. Peel: Once cool, the skins should slip right off with your fingers or a small knife!

Step-by-Step to Perfect Peach Crumb Bars

Follow these simple, detailed steps to create this rustic and deeply satisfying dessert.

Part 1: The Easy All-in-One Crumble Dough

Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to act as “handles.”

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, the 1/2 cup of white sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and the pinch of salt.

Step 3: Add the 10 tablespoons of cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingertips, “cut” the cold butter into the flour mixture. Continue to work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some small, pea-sized bits of butter still visible.

Step 4: In a small bowl, lightly mix together the large egg yolk and the 1 tablespoon of cold water. Slowly mix this into the crumble mixture. The dough should be very crumbly but should hold together when you squeeze a piece in your hand.

Step 5: Press half of this crumble mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan to create the crust. Reserve the remaining half of the crumble mixture for the topping.

Part 2: The Juicy Spiced Peach Filling

Step 1: In a separate large bowl, combine the 2 cups of peeled and sliced fresh peaches, the 1/2 cup of white sugar, the 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, the 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, the 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and the 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

Step 2: Stir everything together gently until the peach slices are evenly coated in the sugar and spice mixture.

Part 3: Assembling and Baking the Bars

Step 1: Spread the prepared peach filling evenly over the top of the pressed crust in the baking pan.

Step 2: Take the reserved crumble mixture and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the peach filling.

Step 3: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 38 minutes. You’ll know the bars are perfectly baked when the filling is bubbly and the crumble topping is a beautiful, light golden brown.

Step 4 (The Hardest Part!): You must let the bars cool completely to room temperature in the pan before you attempt to cut them. This will take at least 1-2 hours. This crucial step allows the hot, jammy filling to set up properly so you can get clean, neat bars.

Once cooled, you can use the parchment paper handles to lift the entire block out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 bars.

Serving and Presentation

These Peach Crumb Bars are a delicious and portable treat, perfect for any occasion. They are fantastic served on their own at room temperature.

For a more decadent dessert experience, you can serve a bar slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of fresh sweetened whipped cream. For an extra touch of elegance, you can also dust the cooled bars with a little powdered sugar.

Print

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

These bars are a fantastic treat to make ahead of time.

• Make-Ahead: You can prepare the raw crumble dough up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container or a zip-top bag in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the raw crumble for up to 3 months.
• Storage: Store the cooled and cut bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is very warm, it is best to store them in the refrigerator.
• Freezing: You can also freeze the baked and cooled bars. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer-safe bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

For more recipe follow my Pinterest account

Creative Recipe Variations

This wonderful and simple crumb bar recipe is a fantastic base for all sorts of delicious variations.

1. Add a Chewy Oat Topping: For a more rustic, chewy, and “crisp”-style topping, you can replace 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour in the crumble mixture with an equal amount of old-fashioned rolled oats.
2. Make it a Peach-Berry Crumb Bar: The combination of peaches and berries is a summer classic. Gently toss in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries along with the sliced peaches for a beautiful and delicious flavor combination.
3. Add a Nutty Crunch: For a wonderful, nutty flavor and extra crunch, you can add 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans or sliced almonds to the crumble topping mixture along with the flour and sugars.

Enjoy The Perfect Bite of Summer!

You’ve just created a truly perfect summer dessert that celebrates the simple beauty of fresh peaches. These Homemade Peach Crumb Bars are a perfect harmony of sweet, jammy fruit and a rich, buttery crumble. They are a simple, rustic, and deeply satisfying treat that is sure to become a treasured recipe in your home.

We hope you and your family love every last, delicious bite!

If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves to bake!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)