The best apple peach crumb bars! Apples and peaches go so well together in this sweet treat. The dough is moist and crumbly, and the baked apples and peaches are so damn yummy!
I’ve been craving peach crumb bars for a while, and while developing the recipe, I was somehow craving apple pie too. I know, it’s not even fall yet but apparently my heart is already wishing temperatures would cool down and trees would turn orange.
In case you haven’t noticed, fall is my favorite season of the year. But, hey, it’s still summer and peaches are abundant and sweet. So, obviously I had to make apple+peach crumb bars! I admit, I was a little hesitant at first because they are so seasonally different, but let me tell ya…these were SO damn good!
How to Make the Dough for Apple Peach Crumb Bars
The first thing you should know about the dough is that it is very crumbly. In fact, it looks dry so do not be tempted to add liquid. Trust me, after baking, it will be moist, golden, and perfectly crumbly!
First, whisk all the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Then using a pastry blender or your fingers, incorporate cubes of VERY cold butter with the dry ingredients until you get pea-sized crumbles. This is super important because cold butter is responsible for a crumbly and flaky texture. I usually freeze butter cut into cubes for about 15-20 minutes before using. Next, mix in a lightly beaten egg.
Half of the dough mixture goes into a 9×13 baking pan. Press it down with your hands until firm and packed. The other half will be used to top your apple and peach filling.
The Apple Peach Filling
It’s so good and simple. All you need is diced peaches, diced apples, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix it all together, and spread it out evenly on top of the bottom layer of prepared dough. I diced the apples and peaches to about 1/2 inch cubes.
Then all you have to do is bake it at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes until golden brown. Your house will smell like heaven! Now…the hardest part? Yup, waiting for it to cool down. This one in particular needs to cool down completely, otherwise the squares won’t hold their shape and you’ll end up with a mess.
Confession: I could not wait, so I dug right in with a spoon and had a few bites of this delicious goodness.
Storing these Apple Peach Crumb Bars
Store in an airtight container to maximize crumbliness and freshness. You can also store them in the fridge.
For extra goodness, serve with some vanilla ice cream! Enjoy! 🙂
Kitchen Tips
- Freeze the butter before incorporating into dry ingredients. You need VERY cold butter.
- Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-size crumbles form. If you don’t have a pastry blender, use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry mix, but be quick so that the butter doesn’t get warm and soft.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the prepared apple and peach mixture to the pan so that the most of the liquid gets left behind. Too much liquid will make it soggy.
- Cool completely before cutting.
Apple Peach Crumb Bars
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- Butter for greasing pan
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup very unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg - lightly beaten
Apple Peach Filling
- 2 ½ cups fresh peaches, peeled and diced to ½ inch cubes - about 4-5 peaches
- 2 ½ cups Gala apples, peeled and diced to ½ inch cubes - about 3-4 apples
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with a little bit of butter and then line with parchment paper with overhang (the butter helps the paper stay in place).
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the apple peach filling. Mix until evenly combined and fruit is coated. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Cut in the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender until you get pea-sized crumbles. You can also rub in the flour and butter with your fingers, but do it quickly so that the butter doesn’t soften too much. Add the egg and mix until a very crumbly dough forms (it will seem dry).
- Place half of the dough on the prepared 9x13 inch pan. Press down to form a firm and even layer. Spread the prepared peach and apple mixture evenly over dough, leaving most of the liquid behind. Spread out the remaining dough crumbles over the filling.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.
Kathy says
I’m making these ahead for Easter brunch. Can they be frozen or is it better to keep in the fridge. I’m making them a week ahead. Thanks!
Tania says
Hi Kathy! Yup, these can be frozen!
Tricia Nunn says
5 stars because it looks delicious, but…..what do we do with the parchment paper? I assume we line the buttered backing dish with it, but recipe does not specify. Anyone?
Tania says
Hi Tricia, it’s to line the baking dish. I updated it, sorry about that!
Melissa says
This is our go-to recipe for a SUPER delicious dessert! I sometimes us a pecan crust and it’s even better! Thank you!
Stefanie Escobar says
These were really easy to make, and are delicious! I had a minor dilemma though…I had a lot of the crumble leftover (I guess I didn’t make it thick enough on the bottom), and I hated to throw away the juice from the fruit, so I combined the two, and added some chopped walnuts on the top and made some mini muffins! The flavor of these is fantastic!
Tania says
Thank you so much, Stefanie!
Diana says
These were amazing and very easy to make. I used granny smith apples for the filling as I didn’t have any peaches. I love the recipe because you simply use the same dough for the crust and for the topping. One thing I’ll try next time is reduce the amount of sugar as it was a tad too sweet for me..
Tania says
Thank you so much for your kind words, Diana!