This is the time of year when summer is winding down and I am savoring all the beautiful produce before it disappears. These Peachberry Crumb Bars are a perfect way to showcase the lovely peach and any berries you might have on hand.
Peaches hold a special place in my heart because I have this memory of my mother baking peach pies one summer when I was about eight years old. Now that I think about it, I hope this really did happen because my mother hardly baked when we were growing up. Hands down my mom is the best cook around but making baked goods was not a thing in our house. Desserts in Taiwanese homes usually means one thing, a plate of orange slices. I feel like I need to verify this story but I’m gonna hold onto the memory of walking up to our house and smelling the wonderful sweet smell of peach pies. It was about this time that my class was reading James and the Giant Peach and that was it. From then on, I’ve always looked forward to baking with peaches because it reminded me so distinctly of home, childhood and summertime.
For these Peachberry Crumb Bars I also used some berries that I knew would bake up beautifully with the peaches and the oat crumb. This is a great way to use up berries that are a little past their prime. Another thing that I’ve convinced myself is that these bars are actually good for you because they have oats. In my mind they are a fancy granola bar, and I’m not gonna be convinced otherwise.
PEACHBERRY CRUMB BARS
ADAPTED FROM KAREN de MASCO
(makes 12 bars)
INGREDIENTS
(Dough)
1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
(Peachberry Filling)
2 large ripe peaches, sliced
1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
METHOD
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl stir the peach slices and berries together. Sprinkle the sugar, cornstarch and salt over the peach berry mixture. Gently toss the mixture until evenly coated. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, stir together the flours, walnuts, oats, sugars, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter, and using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir until thoroughly combined. Press two-thirds of the oat mixture into the bottom of the baking pan. Pour the Peachberry mixture over the top in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Cool completely before slicing them into bars.
TIPS
Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
For a PB & J version use 1 cup of your favorite jam and replace the walnuts with honey roasted peanuts.
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