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Brown Butter Peach Crumb Bars

June 29, 2021 by Heather Smoke 5 Comments

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A mouthwatering recipe for fresh peach crumb bars, with juicy peach filling, and brown butter crust and crumble topping spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. With the buttery, shortbread like crust and brown sugar crumble, these fabulous bars are somewhere between a peach pie and a peach crisp. Serve them warm and gooey with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, or let them cool and cut into bars for a summer dessert you can serve for any occasion.

Looking for more peach recipes? You’ll love this peaches and cream cake, deep dish peach lattice pie, and peach upside down cake.

A stack of brown butter peach crumb bars.

This site contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links.  This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services.  All opinions expressed on this site are my own.

Why You’ll Love These Bars

Brown Butter. Browning the butter first, before making the mixture for the crust and crumble topping gives these peach crumb bars the most incredible rich, nutty, buttery flavor. You’ll just love it.

Versatile. You can use fresh, frozen, or even canned peaches in this recipe. If peaches aren’t available, apricots and nectarines work equally well, too!

A Crowd Pleasing Dessert. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love eating these bars, and you can scale the recipe up or down to feed as many people as you need!

Ingredients for making peach crumb bars.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Peach Filling

  • Peaches. I love to use fresh peaches when they’re in season, but you can also use canned (see FAQs) or frozen.
  • Lemon Juice. Adds acidity to balance the sweetness.
  • Granulated Sugar. Sweetens the filling and adds moisture.
  • Vanilla Extract. Flavor.

Crust and Topping

  • Butter. I only bake with unsalted butter, so I can add salt later and control the saltiness. You’ll be browning the butter first, for the most wonderful flavor.
  • Flour. All-purpose flour adds structure to the crust and topping.
  • Dark Brown Sugar. Sweetness.
  • Salt. Coarse Kosher salt balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
  • Baking Powder. Gives the crust a little lift.
  • Spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg complement the peaches beautifully.
Closeup of peach crumb bars.

Instructions

Peach Filling

  • Peel the peaches and chop the fruit into 1/2 inch chunks. In a saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice and sugar. Over medium heat, bring the peaches to a boil, then continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy. You should reduce the filling to about 1 1/2 cups.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature, or make up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate until needed.

TIP: Cooking and reducing the peach filling first concentrates the peach flavor and eliminates excess moisture so that the peach bars aren’t soggy.

Crust and Topping

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.
  • Place the butter in a saucepan, and melt over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until very fragrant and nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. This should take about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour with the brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the hot, browned butter over the flour mixture and stir into a soft dough.

TIP: You’ll be using the same dough for both the crust and the crumble topping, and simply adding a bit more flour to a portion of the dough to make it crumbly for sprinkling over the peach filling.

Bake

  • Press 2/3 of the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Add the remaining 1/4 cup flour to the remaining 1/3 of the dough, and use your fingers or a fork to make a crumbly topping.
  • After the crust bakes for 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Spread the peach filling over the hot crust, then sprinkle the filling with the crumble topping. Return the pan to the oven, and bake for an additional 35 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
  • Let the bars cool at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares. Or, enjoy them warm, although they’ll be a bit messier.
Peach crumb bars on a white platter, with a cup of coffee.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen or canned peaches instead of fresh?

During peach season, fresh peaches are best for these peach crumb bars. But frozen are an acceptable backup choice, too. If you use canned peaches, be sure to drain and rinse them to get rid of the excess syrup.

Do the peaches need to be peeled?

Yes, you need to peel the peaches, as the peel has an unpleasant texture in peach baked goods.

Will this recipe work with apples or other fruits?

Absolutely. You can swap the peaches for nectarines or apricots for a delicious fruit bar. If you’re looking for other versions, I’d suggest trying my apple crumb bars with maple icing, strawberry cardamom crumb bars with orange icing or blueberry crumb bars.

Can I use canned pie filling or jam?

You can substitute any flavor of canned pie filling for the peach compote. Jam might be too sweet and thick on its own, so I’d suggest adding some chopped fresh peaches to peach jam and try that as a filling.

How long do these bars stay fresh?

You can store these bars at room temperature for 2 days in an airtight container, and the crust will stay crisp and buttery without getting soggy.

Peach crumb bars stacked on a white platter.

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Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!

A stack of brown butter peach crumb bars.

Brown Butter Peach Crumb Bars

Heather Smoke
Juicy fresh peach filling, sandwiched between layers of brown butter crumble.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 25 mins
Total Time 1 hr 45 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings9 -16 servings

Equipment

  • 8 inch baking pan

Ingredients
 

Peach Filling

  • 1 ½ lbs fresh ripe peaches (about 6 peaches)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Crust and Topping

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, divided
  • ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

Peach Filling

  • Peel the peaches and chop the fruit into 1/2 inch chunks. In a saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice and sugar. Over medium heat, bring the peaches to a boil, then continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy. You should reduce the filling to about 1 1/2 cups.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature, or make up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate until needed.

Crust and Topping

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.
  • Place the butter in a saucepan, and melt over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until very fragrant and nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. This should take about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour with the brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the hot, browned butter over the flour mixture and stir into a soft dough.

Bake

  • Press 2/3 of the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Add the remaining 1/4 cup flour to the remaining 1/3 of the dough, and use your fingers or a fork to make a crumbly topping.
  • After the crust bakes for 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Spread the peach filling over the hot crust, then sprinkle the filling with the crumble topping. Return the pan to the oven, and bake for an additional 35 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
  • Let the bars cool at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares. Or, enjoy them warm, although they'll be a bit messier.

Notes

Leftover bars should be cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Keyword Brown Butter, Crumb Bars, Peach
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Filed Under: Brownies and Bars

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marisa

    July 14, 2016 at 11:30 pm

    5 stars
    These look so delicious!!

    Reply
  2. Noelle

    August 18, 2021 at 7:47 am

    5 stars
    These were a fan favorite in my house. Would definitely recommend!

    Reply
    • Heather

      August 18, 2021 at 10:06 pm

      I’m so glad you loved them!

      Reply
  3. Lauren

    August 15, 2022 at 2:55 pm

    5 stars
    I made these over the weekend with Palisade peaches and they were a huge win at dinner with friends and kids alike. They are awesome! I added chopped pecans to the crumble topping, which was delicious.

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      August 15, 2022 at 4:01 pm

      That sounds delicious with the addition of pecans, and Palisade peaches are the best! Before kids, my husband and I would drive there for a weekend every summer.

      Reply

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I'm Heather, and welcome to my Colorado kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes, baked goods and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something delicious with me!

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