Peach Crumb Bars

As you know, we've been enthusiastically celebrating National Peach Month around here. And since we're getting ready to head out on vacation, I planned to give you all a round up and say farewell to the sweet summer peaches. But when I was at the market on Friday the peachy aroma was still calling out to me and I'd kind of wanted to try my hand at making some of the crumb bars I've been seeing all over. So I figured one more peach treat won't hurt.

I loved that this recipe was quite easy and came together quickly. A nice crumbly dough on the top and bottom and a layer of simple peachy goodness sandwiched in between. Brian had two for breakfast with his pot of coffee and one for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I'd call that a successful recipe! Enjoy!









Ingredients
(Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

For the Crust:
3 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup sugar
2 Sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt

For the Filling:
6 Peaches, peeled, pitted and diced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 Cup sugar (depending on sweetness of peaches)
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon salt

To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Mix in the egg. Pat half the dough into a greased 9" x 9" baking pan and place the pan and the remaining half of the dough into the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling, prepare the peaches by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and submerging the peaches fully for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place them in ice water to cool. The peel should come off easy with your fingers.

Once peeled, dice the peaches and combine in a bowl with the lemon juice, flour, sugar and salt. Spread the peach mixture evenly over the dough and crumble the remaining dough over the peaches to form a crumble topping. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for one hour and allow to cool before cutting into bars. Makes approximately 12 servings.