Peach Crumb Bars

All the flavor of summer fruit, none of the fuss.

By
Stephanie Loo
Stephanie Loo
Stephanie Loo
Stephanie Loo is a pastry chef at Restaurant Daniel, freelance writer, recipe developer, and food stylist who contributed to the Eater, Bon Appetit, Food52, Epicurious, The Kitchn, and Simply Recipes.
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Updated October 10, 2023
Stephanie Loo
Peach pie bars stacked on top of each other

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

These peach pie bars have all the flavors of a classic summer peach pie without the difficulty and hassle of assembling and baking a homemade pie crust. The easy, buttery crust does double duty as a crumble on top. There’s no chilling, rolling out, or trimming required!

The shortbread-like crust is paired with a creamy peach filling. It’s an ideal summer bake since it’s quick, easy, and showcases ripe summertime fruit.

How to Choose Peaches

Use your senses to discern when a peach is ripe—it should smell sweet and fragrant and the skin will have a deep yellow hue. When gently pressed, the flesh will have a bit of a give, but should not be overly soft.

Depending on how firm the peaches are and how warm your kitchen is, unripe peaches can take up to a week to ripen. To speed up the process, place the peaches in a brown paper bag. The paper bag will capture the natural ethylene gas that peaches release, which expedites the ripening process.

Peach pie bars stacked on a plate

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

How to Store Peaches

The best way to ripen peaches is to store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature. If you’re not quite ready to use the ripe fruit, peaches can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days before using. The cold temperature of the fridge slows down the ripening process.

Ripe peaches can also be frozen. The best way to do this is to pit and slice the peaches, flash freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months.

How to Make This Recipe Using Frozen Fruit

While fresh peaches are preferable, frozen peach slices can be used to make peach pie bars in place of fresh. The sliced peaches can be used straight from the freezer—no thawing required. If you opt to use frozen fruit, the bars may require an extra 10 to 15 minutes to bake.

Peach pie bars stacked on top of each other

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Delightful Pie Bar Recipes

Peach Crumb Bars

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Total Time 70 mins
Servings 16 servings
Yield 12 to 16

There’s no need to peel the peaches unless you really want to. Sliced thinly and baked, you likely won’t notice the peel in the finished bars.

Ingredients

For the crust and crumb topping

  • 1 3/4 cups (230g) all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for the pan

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the peach filling

  • 1 large egg

  • 1/4 cup sour cream

  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3 medium peaches (about 1 pound), pitted and sliced thinly

Method

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:

    Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. 

    Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch square pan with butter. Line the bottom and two sides of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both sides.

    a square baking pan lined with parchment

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
  2. Make the crust and crumb topping:

    In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the cold, cubed butter and the vanilla extract, and use your fingers to work the butter into the dry mixture until it holds together when squeezed. Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture to be used for the crumb topping.

    Transfer the remaining mixture to the pan and press into an even layer. Set aside while you prepare the peach filling.

    dry ingredients in a bowl whisked together

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
    Hands working butter into dough to make a crumbly mixture

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
    Peach pie par dough patted into a parchment-lined square pan

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
  3. Make the peach filling:

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Add the sliced peaches to the mixture and toss to combine.

    Spread the peach filling evenly over the crust. 

    Sliced peaches mixed together with sugar, egg, and spices

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
    peach pie bar filling on top of the dough in the pan, before baking

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
  4. Add the crumb topping:

    Evenly sprinkle the reserved 3/4 cup crumb topping over the peach mixture. To form bigger crumb pieces, squeeze the mixture in your hand before sprinkling. Most of the pieces should be roughly pea-sized.

    crumbly topping over peach pie bars before baking

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
  5. Bake the bars:

    Bake until the crumble is a pale golden color and feels crisp, about 50 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. 

    The bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Once cut into squares, these bars freeze well for up to 3 months.

    A pan of peach pie bars fresh out of the oven on a cooling rack

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
    Overhead shot of peach pie bars on marble counter

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
217 Calories
10g Fat
30g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 217
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 66mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 2mg 9%
Calcium 13mg 1%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 83mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.