Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars: A Buttery, Creamy Summer Treat

Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars

If you love the cozy comfort of a peach pie but want something you can slice, stack, and hand around a cookout without a fork, these Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars are exactly the dessert to make.

There is a creamy, pie like filling wrapped inside a sweet, crumbly crust, and every square comes out juicy, crunchy, and comforting all at once.

This recipe is adapted from the Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars recipe on Pretty Simple Sweet. What makes it such a keeper is the trade it offers. You get the warm, homey feeling of a fruit pie, but you skip the rolling, the chilling, and the fussy lattice work. Everything happens in one pan, and the oven does the rest.

The filling is the star. It is creamy and just slightly sweet, and it sits in perfect balance with the cookie like crust underneath and the buttery streusel scattered over the top. If you want to make it even better, serve a square with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and let it soften into the warm fruit.

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The clever part is that one mixture does two jobs. Instead of making a separate crust recipe and a separate topping recipe, you make the crumb mixture once and split it into two parts.

The first part is pressed firmly into the pan to form the crust, and it bakes for about 15 minutes before the filling goes in.

The second part gets brown sugar worked through it, then you toss it with your fingers until medium large clumps form. That becomes the streusel.

If you want a little extra texture up top, you can stir 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats, chopped nuts, or both into the reserved crumbs along with the brown sugar. That step is optional, and the bars are just as good without it.

The filling takes about a minute to put together. Once your peaches are chopped, you are nearly done. The filling uses only a few basic ingredients: sugar, cinnamon for extra flavor, and flour to thicken the juices as the bars bake.

Heavy cream is stirred in at the end to make the filling super creamy and a little extra special in flavor.

Two easy variations are worth knowing about. You can replace half of the granulated sugar in the filling with brown sugar, either dark or light, for a more caramel like flavor. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg along with the cinnamon if you want a little more spice in the mix.

One timing rule matters more than any other. Make the filling while the crust is baking in the oven, because it needs to be poured over the crust while the crust is still hot. A warm crust helps the filling start setting right away, which gives you a creamy, even layer instead of a loose puddle.

Texture is where these bars really shine. The crust bakes into something tender and almost shortbread like, the filling stays soft and spoonable, and the streusel keeps enough crispness to give you a little crunch on top. That contrast is the whole point of the recipe.

Short on time? Chop the peaches and measure the dry filling ingredients before you turn on the oven. Then the filling really does come together in about a minute while the crust bakes.

These bars also keep beautifully. They hold up in the refrigerator for 3 days, which makes them a smart make ahead dessert for a party, a potluck, or a quiet weekend afternoon.

Here is the short version of why these bars work so well:

• One crumb mixture handles both the crust and the streusel topping.
• The crust gets a 15 minute head start, so it stays firm under all that juicy filling.
• Heavy cream turns a simple fruit filling into something creamy and rich.
• Cinnamon, plus nutmeg if you want it, keeps the flavor warm and homey.
• A couple of hours in the refrigerator sets the filling so the bars cut clean.

More Brownies & Bars

If you enjoy the contrast of a buttery base, a soft filling, and a crumbly top, there is plenty more in this corner of the site to keep you busy. Crumb bars are one of the friendliest desserts to make because everything happens in one pan and you never have to worry about rolling out dough.

The Apple Pie Shortbread Crumb Bars take the same cozy idea into fall, with a tender shortbread style base and a warmly spiced apple filling. The Blueberry Crumble Bars are a bright summer take on the same idea, and they are a lovely way to use up a basket of berries.

All of these desserts share the same practical appeal: a sturdy base, a juicy middle, and a streusel top that lets you know it is ready by smell alone.

Ingredients

This recipe makes about 20 bars in a 9 x 13 inch pan. The ingredients are divided into two groups, one for the crust and topping and one for the peach filling.

For the crust and topping:

• 2 1/2 cups (350 g / 12.5 oz) all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup (140 g / 5 oz) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups (280 g / 10 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup (50 g / 1.7 oz) brown sugar, preferably dark

For the peach filling:

• 1 cup (200 g / 7 oz) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (35 g / 1.3 oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups pitted, peeled, and chopped peaches (about 7 to 8 peaches, or 2.5 pounds)
• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

A quick note about the brown sugar: it is listed with the crust and topping ingredients because it goes into the portion of the crumb mixture you set aside for the streusel, not into the crust itself. If you want extra crunch, you can also add 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats or chopped nuts to that reserved mixture.

Instructions

Before you start: the filling needs to be poured onto a hot or warm crust, so plan to make it while the crust bakes in the oven.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan, or line it with parchment paper and leave enough overhang on the sides so you can lift the whole slab of bars out after baking. Set the pan aside.
2. Make the crust. Process the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until they are combined. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal. If you do not have a food processor, crumble all the ingredients together in a bowl using a pastry cutter.
3. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs into the prepared pan and press them firmly into an even layer to form the crust.
4. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. While it bakes, make the streusel topping and the filling.
5. Make the streusel topping. Add the brown sugar to the reserved crumb mixture and toss it with your fingers until large clumps of dough form.
6. Make the filling. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add the chopped peaches and toss to combine. In a small bowl, stir together the heavy cream and the vanilla extract, then pour that into the peach mixture and mix well.
7. Pour the peach mixture over the warm crust and sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top.
8. Bake the bars for about 45 minutes, until the juice is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours so the filling sets before you cut them into squares.

Storage: the bars keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Recipe details

This recipe yields a 9 x 13 inch pan, which cuts into about 20 bars.

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Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars If you love the cozy comfort of a peach pie but want something you can slice, stack, and hand around a cookout without a fork, these Peaches and Cream Crumble Bars are exactly the dessert to make. There is a creamy, pie like filling wrapped inside a sweet, crumbly crust, and every square comes out juicy, crunchy, and comforting all at once.

• Yield: 20 bars 1x

Ingredients

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For the crust and topping
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
¼ cup brown sugar, preferably dark

For the peach filling
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
5 cups peaches, pitted, peeled, and chopped
6 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1-Note: Note: The filling should be poured on a hot or warm crust, so be sure to prepare it while the crust is baking in the oven.
2-Preheat oven to 350F/180C: Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 9×13-inch pan or line with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides for lifting the bars out of the pan after baking. Set aside.
3-To make the crust: To make the crust: Process flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Alternatively, you can crumble all the ingredients together in a bowl using a pastry cutter. Set aside 1½ cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Sprinkle remaining crumbs into prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer to form a crust. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. While crust is baking, make the streusel topping and filling.
4-To make the streusel topping: To make the streusel topping: Add brown sugar to the remaining crumb mixture and toss with your fingers to combine until large clumps of dough are formed.
5-To make the filling: To make the filling: In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add peaches and toss to combine. In a small bowl combine heavy cream and vanilla extract, then stir into peach mixture. Mix well. Pour peach mixture over warm crust and sprinkle streusel topping evenly on top.
6-Bake bars for about 45 minutes, until: Bake bars for about 45 minutes, until juice is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
7-Refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours: Refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours to let the filling set before cutting into squares.
8-Bars will keep for 3 days in: Bars will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.

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• Method: bake