Heavenly Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars
These Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars are a delightful, easy-to-share treat perfect for picnics, potlucks, or movie night. This recipe is incredibly straightforward, comes together faster than you'd think, and is a simple crowd-pleaser.
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Wire rack
- Medium bowl
- Large bowl
- Pastry blender or fork or clean fingertips
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
Crumble Bars
- 5 cups Peaches pitted, fresh or frozen (thawed and well-drained!)
- 0.25 cup Brown sugar for peach filling
- 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon for peach filling
- 2.75 cups Flour all-purpose
- 1.67 cup Granulated sugar for crumble
- 0.75 tsp Salt for crumble
- 0.5 tsp Vanilla extract for crumble
- 1.25 cups Unsalted butter cold and cubed, for crumble
- 6 tbsp Heavy cream for base layer
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides.
- Prepare your peach filling. If you're using fresh peaches, slice them into bite-sized pieces. If using frozen, make sure they are completely thawed and drain off any excess liquid really, really well. In a medium bowl, gently toss the peaches with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set this aside while you make the crumble.
- Now, let's make the crumble mixture! In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cold, cubed butter and vanilla extract.
- Work the butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry blender, a fork, or even your clean fingertips. Cut or rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Take about 3/4 of this crumble mixture and place it back into the large bowl. Add the heavy cream and mix until just combined. It will be a bit crumbly but should hold together when you press it.
- Press this cream-enhanced mixture evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Press it down gently but firmly to form the base layer for your bars.
- Carefully spoon the peach filling evenly over the crust layer. Try to leave behind any excess liquid that might have accumulated in the bottom of the peach bowl.
- Take the remaining 1/4 of the original dry crumble mixture (the part you didn't add cream to) and sprinkle it evenly over the peach layer. This will be your lovely, crisp topping!
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the peach filling is bubbly around the edges.
- Let them cool COMPLETELY in the pan on a wire rack before cutting. Cooling allows the bars to set properly so they don't fall apart. Wait at least 2-3 hours, or even pop them in the fridge for an hour once they've cooled down a bit.
- Once fully cool, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the whole slab out of the pan. Slice into squares or rectangles with a sharp knife.
Notes
Tips for Success:
- Use cold butter for the best crumble texture.
- Don't overwork the crumble when adding cream.
- Drain peaches thoroughly to avoid soggy bars.
- Cool bars completely before cutting. Storage:
- Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freeze cooled, wrapped bars for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Use cold butter for the best crumble texture.
- Don't overwork the crumble when adding cream.
- Drain peaches thoroughly to avoid soggy bars.
- Cool bars completely before cutting. Storage:
- Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freeze cooled, wrapped bars for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature.