Peach Pie Bars

I love pie as much as the next person, but I don’t really make it often because it’s a little harder to share with people compared to things like cookies and bars. When I have a family gathering I love making pies or cakes that I wouldn’t otherwise make, but for everyday baking where I need to send the end result off to work with Ryan so I don’t end up eating it all myself, I need something a little more portable.

That’s why I loved this recipe for peach pie bars. It tastes just like the peach pie we all know and love, but is packaged in cute little bar form which can be easily transported and shared with others. This also makes them much easier to snack on yourself if you’re leaving them at home, which could either be a good thing or a bad thing depending how you look at it. For me it’s a bad thing since I have no self-control whatsoever, so I was happy to give these away!

This recipe comes from Pink Parsley, which is one of my favourite blogs. After seeing her picture of these peach pie bars, I knew there was no way I could stop myself from making them. I cut the recipe in half and baked them in an 8x8 dish, so my filling was probably a little thicker than the original version, but it still worked well and tasted amazing. If you have more people to share these with, or if you just want more for yourself (and I wouldn’t blame you!), go ahead and make the full version from the original recipe. I didn’t change much other than to replace some of the granulated sugar with brown sugar and add some nutmeg to give it a little more spice.

Everyone who tried these loved them! The crust is thick enough to allow you to pick up the bar without it falling apart, but thin enough that the main thing you taste is the peach sour cream filling. The filling may look different than something you’d expect from a typical fruit bar because it has a somewhat custardy texture, but that's because it’s supposed to resemble a pie filling. If you keep the bars in the fridge, the filling stays together really well, unlike most pie fillings which ooze out of the crust when you cut into them.

Now I can’t wait until fall so I can share my favourite apple pie bar recipe! But in the meantime I’m still not quite done with peaches – stay tuned for one more delicious peach recipe this weekend!

Peach Pie Bars

Adapted from Pink Parsley

Makes about 16 bars (one 8x8 pan)

Ingredients:

Crust and Topping:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled

Filling:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream and it worked fine)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 lbs peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped (I used about 7 small peaches)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and grease or spray with cooking spray. Allow the foil to hang over the edges of the pan for easy removal of the bars later.

To make the crust and topping, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Cut the butter into small, 1/2 inch cubes, and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture is still crumbly, about 30-60 seconds.

Reserve 1 cup of the mixture to use as the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the foil-lined pan, and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes.

To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the peaches and pour the mixture over the crust, spreading with a spatula to ensure it's even. Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture evenly over the filling, and bake 45 to 55 minutes until filling is set.

Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.