Delicious dessert bars made with homemade peach butter and a buttery, brown sugar crumble topping. SO delicious and easy! Even the homemade peach butter is incredibly easy.
Let’s Talk Peach Butter:
You’ve all heard of/tried apple butter at some point in life – if not, go find yourself some and then report back.
This summer I discovered peach butter! I mean, I didn’t invent it – I just found out that it exists and that it’s magical. It’s as simple as chopping up fresh peaches, cooking them with sugar, honey, spices, and vanilla, then blending them up, and cooking a bit more to thicken things up. SO SO SO GOOD. Run out NOW and buy a cart full of peaches because they are almost gone until next summer! Okay, you don’t need a cart full. One-and-a-half pounds (about 5-6 large peaches) will do.
Half the peach butter gets used in these bars, and the other half is amazing stirred into plain yogurt or on toast! (Or you can be real fancy like me and eat it from the jar with a spoon.)
Reasons to make homemade peach butter:
- You will feel like a rockstar
- It will make your house smell amazing
- You can freeze some of it and have the taste of fresh summer peaches in the middle of winter! Your three-months-from-now self will thank you.
BUT, if you don’t want to make this from scratch, you can try to find peach butter at a local grocery store or farmer’s market, or you can sub for apple butter! Delicious either way.
A few notes about the Peach Butter:
This yields a pint jar full (2 cups) of peach butter.
This recipe works well if you double it (or even quadruple it, like I did!). Store a jarful in your fridge for up to two weeks, and freeze the rest in tupperware containers. Just move the frozen containers to the fridge a day or two before using, to thaw.
Using a hand blender (immersion blender) is the easiest way to blend up your peaches! I have this one
and absolutely love it! (Affiliate link).
Making the Bars:
Crumble bars are the ultimate super easy/back pocket/potluck dessert. I’m kind of obsessed (see Strawberry Caramel Crumble Bars and Insanely Good Pear Crumble Bars).
It’s just a few basic ingredients – oats, butter, flour, sugar, spices – stirred together. It forms the base and the topping for these bars, and our homemade peach butter is the filling.
SO. GOOD. I could eat a whole pan of these on my own. And I’m only half kidding. Please, please get yourself to the store or farmer’s market TODAY and grab some of these late summer peaches! This recipe is too good – don’t wait until next summer to make it!
Happy Baking, friends!
Don’t be freaked out by the long cook time in this recipe. 60 minutes of that is just the peach butter cooking on the stovetop, and it only needs to be stirred occasionally.
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!
Peach Butter Crumble Bars
Ingredients
For the Peach Butter:
- 1 and 1/2 pounds ripe peaches, diced No need to peel
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the Peach Bars
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup of the above peach butter
Instructions
- Make the peach butter: Combine all ingredients in a large pot over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Stir occasionally, until the peaches have cooked down and are very tender (20-25 minutes). Use a hand blender or carefully transfer to a regular blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the pot, and continue to cook over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened (40-45 mins). Let cool slightly, and pour into a jar or tupperware container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Yield - 2 cups peach butter.
- Make the bars: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the melted butter, and stir until you have a crumbly mixture. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for the top of the bars. Press the rest of the mixture into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes (This is a good time to pour your peach butter into jars!). Evenly spread one cup of the peach butter over the baked crust. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crumble mixture over the top of the peach butter. Return to the oven and bake for 24-27 minutes - the topping will look cooked and lightly browned.
- Serve + Store: Let cool completely before cutting into bars, if you want nice neat squares. If not, dig in! Store leftover bars at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
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Rob says
I have tried MANY Blue Bowl recipes and have loved each one. However, I was disappointed with this recipe. I am a dessert fanatic but I found these bars to be WAY too sweet. I wonder if I did something wrong or if this is just a VERY sweet dessert.
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Rob! I wonder if you measured something wrong by accident – we’ve all been there! 🙂 I’ve made these bars so many times, always to rave reviews! And, there’s even a version of them (with apple butter) in my cookbook, and they’ve been a hit with everyone who’s tried them. Sorry to hear you found these too sweet!
Susanne says
Great recipe – photo could not be attached here, sadly
Stephanie Simmons says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Susanne! Feel free to tag me in the photo on Instagram, if you use that platform. 🙂 I’d love to see it!
Loree says
Yum! I was gifted with a big jar of peach butter and was looking for something to do with it. This is the perfect recipe for it. Thanks!
Stephanie Simmons says
That sounds like a fabulous gift! Hope you enjoy these bars, Loree 🙂
Patty Esparza says
Simmering peach butter made my kitchen smell heavenly! We’ve been enjoying it on everything from English muffins to sourdough toast. My daughter was looking for something to upgrade her protein shake so I suggested the butter. It was vanilla/peach deliciousness! I finally got around to making the crumble bars and they were amazing! I love that I only had to make one mixture for the base and topping. So easy to put together and perfect with coffee.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks for your kind comment Patty! I’m so glad you made the butter & the bars! It does make the kitchen smell amazing ☺️ Mixing it into a protein shake sounds like a great idea! I’ll have to try that! ❤️
April says
This looks so good! I have tons of frozen peaches that I need to use up. I plan on making peach cobbler two ways then peach pie and now I think I need to make this one. I’m sure the peach butter tastes so much better than just topping the bars with raw peaches.
Stephanie Simmons says
Can I come over for dessert at your house? ?? That all sounds amazing! Hope you enjoy these bars!
Arjhon Canoy says
Another exciting recipe to try this weekend. Looks so delicious and perfect for dessert and snack! This weekend I’m gonna be a rock star in our kitchen!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks so much! Rock on! ??
Linda says
Oh my! This is something that needs to happen right away. And i can’t wait to add a little dollop of this to my breakfast. Sooo good and refreshing too.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks Linda! ❤️ enjoy!
Amanda says
This looks like the perfect recipe to help me transition from summer to fall. Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try this!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks Amanda! They are so delicious!
Adriana Lopez Martin says
You got me at peach and butter so luscious and yummy. The perfect combination for a tasty fall treat and then using seasonal stone fruit. I need some!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks Adriana! Enjoy!
Jacqui says
I made homemade peach butter a week or so ago and I did feel like a rockstar, my house smelt amazing and I still have some of it left in the freezer. I love to have fresh smell in the winter and peach is just one of them. Great bars!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks Jacqui! ❤️
Jere Cassidy says
Good timing with this post, I just picked a large bag of peaches and was trying to find uses for all of them. I love crumble bars so this is perfect for our dessert tonight.
Stephanie Simmons says
How perfect! ❤️
Kelly Anthony says
What a creative way to use peaches. I haven’t seen peach butter but I’m sure it taste amazing. I love peaches!
Stephanie Simmons says
Its so good – totally recommend it! Have you tried apple butter?
Stine Mari says
My goodness, peach butter sounds absolutely divine! And I love anything crumble, so this is definitely my kind of dessert!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks Stine! ❤️
Fred says
Peach Butter, wow!! This sounds like a wonderful snack bar which I would love to try and can pack up for my son on his way to school. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks, Fred! Enjoy!
Catherine Brown says
What a great idea to make peach butter… and then make peach butter bars!! Those peaches look similar to the ones that grow up here in NH. It’s too cold up here for the large softball-sized ones, but they’re just as sweet. I bet the peach butter could be made in a crock pot too (still haven’t caved and bought an instant pot yet) 😉
Stephanie Simmons says
Oh i bet you could do it in the crock pot! Not sure about the IP though. It’s so delicious- hope you give it a try!