Peach Crumb Bars
My recent obsession with peaches started not long after crossing the Georgia state line en route to Florida on our vacation. My husband mentioned how we should stop to get a slice of peach pie since we were, in fact, in Georgia (the Peach State). I think my face lit up like a Christmas tree and then that was it – I had peach pie on the brain. We never stopped for pie since we were in the middle of a 16-hour road trip, but my craving was fulfilled a couple of days later when we couldn’t stop talking about peach pie and finally went and bought peaches and made a pie. It absolutely hit the spot and was probably the best peach pie I’ve ever eaten. And so my peach spree began.
I went to Sam’s Club the day after getting back from vacation and found one case of perfect-looking peaches. Every single one of them – perfect. How often does that happen?
I had to snatch them up, but then I had too many to eat in a reasonable amount of time before they would go bad. So I set off to make something fabulous with them.
These crumb bars combine the best of a peach pie and the best of a crumb cake into one amazing dessert. Since I loved the peach pie that we made so much, I used the same filling recipe for these crumb bars.
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I chose to dice the peaches figuring that it would make biting into the bars easier and less messy, but if you prefer slices you could definitely do that as well. Just make sure you add these to your “to do” list and enjoy every bite!
More fruit-filled baked goods:
Apple Hand Pies
Fresh Blueberry Pie
Russian Grandmothers’ Apple Pie-Cake
Fresh Strawberry Tart
Watch How to Make Peach Crumb Bars:
Peach Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
For the Filling
- 5 cups (770 g) diced or sliced peaches, about 7 peaches, peeled
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup (71 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Make the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter, and then the egg. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan. Place the pan and the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
- Make the Filling: Place the diced (or sliced) peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the peaches and mix gently.
- Spread the peach mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the peach layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[photos by The Almond Eater]
I have made this 6 times and every time it was easy and delicious. Made some for a party but they ended up with my Son. The Senior Home loves them and request them whenever I bake. I have used apples and apples and frozen blueberries.and loved the peaches too. Cooked my fruit a bit and drained excess juice , the flour does thicken the fruit *and cooled before spreading on cookie base. The best recipe I have. Thank you.
Have tried this recipe 6 times now. Ladies at Senior home love it. Easy simple delicious. I cooked my peaches( too hard) for 5 min drained excess juice cooled and spread over crust. Perfect. Used apples raw and cooked for 5-8 min and drained , cooled excellent results . Even added blueberries to last batch did not have enough apples, Son loved the combination. Best recipe I have used and so delicious. Thank You.
I forgot to ask, can canned or frozen peaches be used when fresh are not in season>? Thanks
Hi Bea, I believe others have commented that they have successfully used both. Enjoy!
I made this for a Senior Brunch recently and it disappeared so fast I only got a taste while cutting it. Once someone tried it they came back up to get another slice. It was so easy to prepare. ( My one problem was the peaches I purchased were harder than they felt in the store. I put the diced peaches in a sauce pan with 1/4 cup of Orange juice and the sugar and cooked for about 10 -15 min to soften, then added the flour and spices and let simmer another 5 min. In a larger bowl I poured the contents to cool completely and than spread over the base and continued with the topping) Totally my mistake in choosing the peaches. Amazingly it worked out perfectly.!! I just love this easy, delicious, fresh recipe. Today I was asked to make it for tomorrow’s Music event. The Ladies liked it so much they want it again. Thank You for sharing this wonderful recipe that now has a Honored Place with My Family Favorites Cookbook and Only Number One Treasured Recipes.
This is by fart the easiest , most delicious and most requested recipe I use. I posted a comment above but forgot to mention that one must DRAIN any excess juice . I have made 2 using peaches and because they were a bit hard I cooked them for about 5 min. There was about 1 cup of juice in the pan so I drained that off, cooled the mixture before spreading over the crust, came out perfect. I agree with you one should only use REAL butter, that is what makes this crust so delicious. The next 2 were apple and again I had close to a cup of juice after cooking for about 4 -5 min on med heat and drained them. Today I only had 3 apples and some blueberries and did not have to drain, the flour thickened it perfectly, cooled fruit before putting on the crust. So in 3 weeks I have made this by request 5 times. How can I thank you for this awesome recipe. Next I am going to try the fruit uncooked and see how I do. Thanks for the reply about the canned fruit as that will be easier than peeling all the fresh variety. The Ladies at the Senior Home are devouring them. Tonight it was son and Grandson and I got 18 and son wrapped the rest and squirreled them away. Your site has recipes not seen on others and this makes it very special. Thank You, Bea
This is the second time that I made this, my husband told me this one is a
definite keeper, I think he likes it and you will too!
Can the peach crumb bars be frozen? They are sooo good. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, Yes, you could definitely freeze these!
Just made these with friends! they’re amazing! great recipe!
i tried this for my festiv ! Gud !
Hi BEB! I’ve made this recipe of yours as is last year & it was a hit at home & w/ co-workers. I decided to add a small twist to it & added 1 1/2 cups of blueberries into the peach mix. If I didn’t use up this last batch of blueberries in the next few days, they would’ve begun to walk. So, it was a literally last minute add after just having read your peach & blueberry coffee cake. I was tempted to do the coffee cake, but it was 2pm in California & wouldn’t have been as fresh for breakfast the next day. By the way, the blueberry add in to your Peach crumb bars was Delicious! We added whipped cream to top it off for dessert tonight. Just thought to share my twist in ode to yours, & thank you, always for your awesome creations! Take care of the boys….including the furry ones, + little BEB”y”!
Michelle, I made these last week and they were fantastic! On Saturday, I made them with blueberries and they were good BUT tonight I made them with strawberry and they were fabulous !! Had to adjust the flour to the berries a bit but they came out great. They would be good with some homemade vanilla ice cream too…Thanks for another great recipe!
These were excellent! I used some ripe, juicy peaches and doubled the cornstarch. I made half a batch in a 9×9 pan. Really, these bars ‘show off’ great peaches. it’s peach season and I’ve been trying different recipes. This could make you famous with your friends. The bars look beautiful and hold together nicely. Try it out!
Yum. Must try adding flaked coconut to the crumb crust for the ultimate taste sensation!
How far in advance can I make these and should they be refrigerated? Thanks, Roxanne
Hi Roxanne, You can make these a day in advance; they can be kept at room temperature or refrigerated.
Wonderful! Tasts like a shortbread with peaches :)
I was looking for a peach dessert today and came across your recipe after searching online. It was delicious and easy to make. I froze half to share with my daughter next time she is home from university. I will certainly make it again and am looking forward to trying it with apples this fall. Thanks for a great dessert!
Hey !!! I made this and everyone loved it . It’s just the bottom became mushy after a an hour or so idk why can you tell me how I can stop this ??
It sounds like perhaps your middle layer had too much moisture; did you use canned peaches that weren’t drained, or perhaps fresh peaches that were a little overripe?
Can these be frozen?
Yes, I think they would freeze well.
These were a hit at our Labor Day BBQ yesterday! I didn’t have enough peaches so I used some blueberries as well and it was a great combination. My peaches were pretty ripe so I drained some of the liquid to make sure the bars didn’t get soggy on the bottom. Thanks for always posting amazing recipes! I love your blog and the pictures of your adorable puppies!
Hi Michelle,
These look awesome but I had a few issues when I was making them. Granted, its about 90 degrees out today so my butter melted slightly. But my other problem was the ratio. When I tried to split up the dough, there wasn’t nearly enough to cover the bottom of a 9X13 pan and the peaches. Is the crust supposed to be a continuous layer? Also, I only used 6 peaches but it seemed to be way more than in your pictures. How big were the peaches you used?
Thanks so much!
Hi Lauren, Yes, the bottom crust should be a continuous layer, but it doesn’t need to be thick. The top layer should just be a crumb topping; it doesn’t need to be a continuous layer.
Made them last night, they are fabulous! My daughter wants me to send them to her in the dorm. She can have half! :)
Hi.
I tried this recipe last week for a party. It was a huge success. I am having friends for supper tomorrow night and i am baking this delicious treat again! Thank you.
Elise
Hey, these were great! Thanks!
I realize I’m about four years too late, but I recently discovered your blog, and I’m on it every. single. day now. I made these last night for my boyfriend’s coworkers, and he had never even heard of crumb bars! He’s been texting me non-stop about them, saying how delicious they are, and how his crew can’t stop eating them. I’ve made so many of your recipes, and each one is a hit, so I just wanted to say thank you for starting this blog! It’s fantastic! All the best!
Just made these and they are sooo good! Thats a problem because I can’t stop eating them! I only had aboout 4 cups of peaches and I also used 1/2 brown sugar 1/2 granulated sugar. They turned out great.. I will make theses again.
I followed this recipe, but added a cup of blueberries for color and texture, and the second half for the topping, i added cinnamon and extra sugar and butter to make it more sweet, and have a deeper brown.
These were a HUGE hit!
Question: if made with apples, would I need to cook/soften the apples before adding them and baking?
Thanks, Michelle!
Hi Karli, I would toss the apples and then let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes so the apples soften and release some liquid. That should work!
My peach crumble just came out of the oven. My house smells heavenly. I took a sneaker bite and it was amazing. I did mine a little different because to be honest I was dancing around the kitchen and not reading the directions very carefully. It still turned out great. I just don’t have a top half to my bar. Thanks again for the recipe.
Hi there, I left a comment a few days back, can you let me know why this wasn’t posted or pulled. Thanks.
Hi Sonya, On which post did you leave the comment? I’ll check to be sure it didn’t get sucked into the spam filter.
Hi! Me again! Let me just say these turned out amazing! Wow! I didn’t have nutmeg just added extra cinnamon & vanilla extract (which I seem to add to every recipe I make lol!). Used a 7 x 11 casserole dish, and fit perfectly. Thanks again!
I love these bars so much! They are just amazing and really easy to make. I just posted them on my blog and would love if you’d come take a look! Here’s the link: http://piesandplots.net/peach-crumb-bars/ Thanks for such a great recipe :)