'Tis the season to be peachy...and these peach crisp bars are a delicious twist on the classic version of peach crisp. I love a big bowl of crisp, fresh out of the oven with ice cream. But these bars are easy to grab and eat on the go, and you still get to enjoy the same flavors! Bonus: you can still heat them and eat them with ice cream if you want!
August is a great time of year for peaches, but if you're unable to find fresh peaches, I think this would work just fine with canned, drained peach slices (in water...not juice or syrup!).
These bars are easy to make, delicious, and the perfect way to utilize peaches when they're at their best!
Jump to RecipeIngredients: Brown Sugar Peach Crisp Bars
Here's what you'll need to make them for yourself.
Crisp Base and Topping
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
Brown Sugar Peach Filling
- Fresh, ripe peaches
- Fresh lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Rolled oats
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Shredded sweetened coconut (this is technically optional but I really really recommend using it!)
A Bit About Peaches
Peaches, with their sweet and juicy flesh, are not only a summer favorite but are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—some people even say they can improve allergies and protect your skin from the sun...pretty cool! They're native to northwest China and have been cultivated for over 2,000 years. Their delightful flavor, combined with their numerous health benefits, makes them a perfect choice for desserts and other dishes.
I'm lucky to live fairly close to the Okanagan where some of the world's best peaches are grown!
Choosing the Best Peaches for Peach Crisp Bars
- Color and feel: Ripe peaches will have a vibrant color with no green tinges. They should yield slightly to gentle pressure, indicating softness without being overly mushy.
- Aroma: A ripe peach will have a fragrant aroma. If it doesn’t smell like a peach, it won’t taste like one either.
- Avoid blemishes: While minor imperfections are okay, avoid peaches with large bruises or overly soft spots.
Storage tips
- Unripe peaches: If your peaches aren’t ripe yet, store them in a paper bag at room temperature. This traps the ethylene gas they produce, speeding up the ripening process.
- Ripe peaches: Once ripe, transfer them to the refrigerator to slow down the ripening. They can be stored in the crisper drawer for up to a week.
Variations
- Try other stone fruits: Don't limit yourself to just peaches. This recipe works wonderfully with nectarines, plums, or even cherries. You can even mix and match for a multi-fruit crisp bar.
- Add nuts: For an added crunch and flavor, fold in some chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts to the topping.
Serving Suggestions
- Beverage pairing: Pair these peach crisp bars with cold iced tea, a glass of sparkling wine, or even a cold brew coffee on a warm afternoon.
- Toppings: Apart from vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, consider drizzling some caramel sauce, adding a dollop of Greek yogurt (my dad's favorite way to eat them), or sprinkling some toasted coconut flakes on top.
If you're a fan of dessert bars in general, you just HAVE to try my raspberry pistachio butter bars too!
📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Peach Crisp Bars
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375F.Next, line a 9x13 pan with parchment or tinfoil. Make sure it's long enough that the material hangs over the edges so you can pick up the bars out of the pan once they're done by holding the tinfoil or parchment. Spray your tinfoil with cooking spray or butter your parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and mix gently.
- Take your butter right from the fridge when it's still cold. Grate it with a cheese grater or dice it into small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and combine everything until the butter is coated with the flour mixture.
- Next, add one egg to the flour and butter mixture and combine well. The mixture should ultimately look like it has roughly pea-sized pieces of butter in it.
- Now, take HALF of this dough, and press it into the bottom of your pan on top of the tinfoil or parchment paper. This will be the base and crust, so you'll want to press it in fairly firmly to give your bars a solid base.
- Refrigerate the pan with the crust in the bottom and also take the other half of the dough and refrigerate that too.
- Peel, slice, and dice about eight small peaches or six large (or however many gets you about five cups of peaches).It's okay if your pieces aren't all the same size.(See section in blog post about the easiest way to peel peaches)
- Add your lemon juice and vanilla to your peaches, mix gently, and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and shredded coconut (if you're using it).
- Now, gently combine the peach mixture with the dry ingredients.
- Get the pan with the crust out of the fridge, and pour your peach filling on top of it.
- Take the rest of your crisp base and topping from the fridge, and cover the peach filling mix in the pan with it. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until the top is light golden.
- Remove from the oven and let it come to room temperature on the counter before you move it to the fridge. Alternatively, serve them hot with ice cream!After it's been in the fridge for at least an hour, take it out and pull the edges of the parchment or tinfoil to remove the entire thing from the pan.Place it on a large cutting board and cut it into pieces of your desired size. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Try These Brown Sugar Peach Bars Before Summer Ends
I like to think these brown sugar peach crisp bars are a testament to the beauty of summer produce, with their delightful blend of sweet, tart, and crumbly textures in every bite. Whether you're enjoying them as a midday snack, dessert after a meal, or even breakfast, I just know you'll love them. Enjoy your baking and the delicious taste of summer in every bite!
xo - Chelsea
By the way, I have a new page on my site with a bunch of helpful links. It has links to my social profiles, LTK, Amazon Storefront, etc. There's NO pressure to shop from any of these links. But if you're curious about the products I use, etc., that's where you'll find them. As always, I appreciate your support SO much!
PS. I first published my brown sugar peach crisp bars back in 2018 but I have updated them in 2023 with new pictures and more information.
Kushigalu
Drooling over these peach bars. Pinned to try your recipe soon.
Jess
Drooling over this! Cannot wait to make it.
Dannii
These bars were incredible. Such a great way to use peaches.
Kristen
These bars were perfect! Such a tasty treat!