These peach crumble bars are the perfect late summer bake with juicy sliced peaches layered between a buttery, chewy shortbread crust and a golden brown sugar oat crumble. The secret to making these so good? Brown butter. It's used in both the base and topping, adding warm, toasty depth to every bite!
Part peach cobbler, part shortbread cookie, these bars are the summer cousin to these apple crumble bars and are perfect to serve at picnics, potlucks, or as an afternoon treat.
In my opinion, stone fruit season is the top-tier fruit season of the entire year! Whether it's peaches, nectarines, plums, nectarines, or cherries, there's so many ways to use these delicious fruits in your baked goods.
A classic peach cobbler? Yes. Cherry upside down cake? Perfect. Peach crisp with a brown butter topping? Count me in!
But, we also love some more upscale versions like a peach galette, fried peach pies, or a stone fruit tart. Really, you can't go wrong!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Brown butter magic - an extra layer of flavor is speckled throughout the base (you can actually see the specs of flavor!), creating a toasty, nutty undertone.
Contrasting textures - an ultra chewy shortbread cookie base, juicy spiced peaches, and a crisp oat topping make for the perfect bite every time.
Perfectly sliceable - Chilling these bars ensures clean edges when cutting, and they are absolutely delicious served cold straight from the fridge.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter. A higher amount of butter is needed to start, as the browning process evaporates the water.
- All-purpose flour. This is used in every component of the recipe and helps to thicken the peach filling during baking.
- Sugars. Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are used in these peach bars.
- Spices. The combination of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg brings out of cozy flavors of the peaches.
- Rolled oats. These thicker oats create extra chew and texture to the crumble topping.
- Peaches. Sweet summer peaches get sliced up (skin and all), tossed in sugar and spices, and layered onto the brown butter shortbread base. Look for peaches that are still quite firm!
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use any variety of stone fruit! Nectarines, plums, apricots, or even pitted cherry halves!
- Add ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds to the crisp topping for extra crunch.
- Use quick cooking oats in a pinch if you don't have rolled oats. Just note that the texture won't be quite the same.
- Make it gluten-free using Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend!
How to Make This Recipe
One: Brown the butter until amber colored, then chill until it becomes room temperature.
Two: Whip the softened butter until it's light and fluffy.
Three: Mix with sugar, then add the flour and beat until combined.
Four: Press the brown butter shortbread dough into the parchment lined pan, then par-bake.
Hot tip! Add the dough into the pan in dollops all over, then press it in with your fingertips!
Five: Slice the peaches and toss in spices, sugar, and flour.
Six: Melt the remaining brown butter and mix with flour, brown sugar, and oats until crumbles form.
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Seven: Sprinkle ⅓ of the crumble over the par-baked shortbread base.
Eight: Layer over all of the peach slices, nestling them in as much as possible.
Nine: Top with the remaining crumble, then bake and cool completelty in the fridge.
Ten: Once fully chilled, slice the bars into squares and serve!
Expert Tips
- Cool the brown butter until its a stiff peanut butter consistency before using it to create the shortbread base.
- Choose peaches that are ripe, but still quite firm. Overly ripe peaches will turn to mush during the baking process.
- Nestle in as many peach slices as you can onto the shortbread base. You can gently press them down to help them lay flat.
- Chill fully before slicing to get nice, clean cuts.
Recipe FAQs
I do not suggest using canned peaches, as they're too soft. You can use frozen peaches, just let them thaw first, remove excess juice
Yes, they actually NEED to be made ahead of time! The bars need a couple of hours in the fridge to set (if you want them to be actual bars).
Yes! Wrap the slab or slices tightly in plastic wrap, foil, and place into a zip top bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Unwrap and thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
Storage
Store the bars uncovered or lightly covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. Enjoy cold or let them sit at room temperature for a bit to take the chill off.
To freeze, wrap the slab or slices tightly in plastic wrap, foil, and place into a zip-top bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Unwrap and thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Brown Butter Peach Crumble Bars
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
Ingredients
Butter for Browning
- 1 ¾ cups or 3 ½ sticks unsalted butter
Shortbread Base
- 1 cup browned butter room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Peach Layer
- 4-5 medium peaches halved, pitted, and sliced ⅛" thick (see notes)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crumble Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup tablespoon browned butter melted
Instructions
Browning the Butter
- Cut the unsalted butter into tablespoon pieces and add to a large pan over medium heat. Allow it to melt, bubble, and foam until the milk solids turn quite brown (but don’t let them burn!). Stir the butter with a rubber spatula every so often to prevent sticking and get nice amber colored brown on the butter.1 ¾ cups or 3 ½ sticks unsalted butter
- Remove the butter to a bowl (scrape all the bits out from the pan!) and place in the fridge to cool off more quickly. Stir the butter every 10 minutes until it’s the consistency of stiff peanut butter. You can also add the bowl into a larger bowl full of ice cubes.
Shortbread Base
- Preheat the oven to 300℉ and line bottom and sides of a 13 x 9" baking pan with a parchment paper sling so you can easily pull the bars out after baked.
- Add 1 cup room temperature brown butter into a stand mixer (with paddle attachment, or use a hand mixer) and turn on high speed for 4 minutes until it turns pale and slightly whipped. Scrape down the sides.1 cup browned butter
- Add in the sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix on medium speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides again.½ cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add in the flour and mix on low until combined. The dough will look crumbly at first, then will come together and look slightly sticky (this is normal).2 cups all-purpose flour
- Scatter pieces of the dough all around the pan and press it (with fingertips) into the edges and middle until all the dough comes together to cover the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Turn the oven up to 350℉.
Peach Layer
- While the crust is baking, core and slice the peaches (⅛ inch thick). In a large bowl, combine the peaches, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and lightly toss until the apples are fully coated.4-5 medium peaches, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crumble Topping
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, and melted brown butter with a fork until just combined and crumbly.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 cup rolled oats, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup tablespoon browned butter
- Sprinkle one third of the topping over the shortbread, then layer the peach slices over the crumble in slightly overlapping horizontal lines. Gently press down on the apples with your hands.
- Once the peaches are arranged, sprinkle the remainder of the topping evenly on top and bake for 30 minutes.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for 2 hours. Using the parchment slings, remove the full slab of bars to a cutting board and cut into 12 or more pieces and serve.
Deborah Roalsen says
STOP!! Whatever you are doing, just stop! Stop looking for the perfect crumble recipe. Callan's peach crumble recipe is the pin-ultimate answer to life's nagging questions!
What is for dessert? The Cozy Plum Crumble
What shall I have for brekkie? The Cozy Plum Crumble
Tea time treat? The Cozy Plum Crumble
Feeling down? The Cozy Plum Crumble
Celebrating? The Cozy Plum Crumble
Don't have peaches but have plums? The Cozy Plum Crumble
Blueberrries? Strawberries? Figs? The Cozy Plum Crumble
This recipe is so forgiving and glorious! I used Apriums for mine, and added ground clove to the fruit for an autumn fragrance and flavour profile. It was divine! I took it to work and colleagues who do not like plums or stone fruit in general still loved it! It's that good.
I did not have time to cool the butter in the shortbread base, nor whip it. The crust turned out with the loveliest texture that I may not ever change for doing it properly.
Planning to make this again with cherries before the season disappears!
Now really, stop what you are doing and get this in your oven! You won't be sorry!
Callan Wenner says
This is possibly the best review I've ever received LOL. Thank you so much for the kind words, and so happy to hear it worked out with a few changes and shortcuts, too! Wahoo!