Weather: 53 degrees, partly cloudy
What I’m listening to: I Will Follow You into the Dark, Death Cab for Cutie
Although peach season really peaks in July and August, you can often find some of the best prices on peaches in September just before they go out of season. So, to properly bid farewell to peaches for the year (and because I just simply can’t pass up a good deal on produce here in Alaska!), I bought several on-sale, extremely juicy, ripe beauties and made these delectable, fall-spiced Ginger Peach Crumble Bars.
Does anyone remember the 90’s song titled Peaches? “Move into the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches…millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches for free.” Please tell me I’m not the only one who remembers this song. I digress into 90’s nostalgia. But only a little.
These bars remind me of hand-held peach cobbler. And I LOVE peach cobbler. Perhaps one of my all-time favorite desserts. These are simple to throw together. Half of the buttery crumb mixture gets pressed into the bottom of the the pan to form the crust, top that with a fresh peach filling spiced with crystallized ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then sprinkle the crumble topping all over the top. It bakes to a lovely golden brown and the entire house smells heavenly. Eat these with a fork or with your fingers. I won’t judge. And hey, while we’re talking about not judging, why don’t you bust out the vanilla ice cream to go with it?
Farewell peaches, I will miss you.
Ginger Peach Crumble Bars
Adapted from [Two Peas & Their Pod|http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/peach-crumb-bars/]
Yields: 9 bars
- For the Filling:
- 2-1/2c peaches, peeled and diced
- 1T lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4c flour
- 1/2t cornstarch
- 1/2c sugar
- 1/8t salt
- 1-1/2T crystallized ginger, diced
- 1/2t cinnamon
- 1/8t freshly grated nutmeg
- For the Crust/Crumble:
- 1-1/2c flour
- 1/2c sugar
- 1/2t baking powder
- 1/4t salt
- 1/4t cinnamon
- 1/2c cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 small egg, beaten
- 1/2t vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
!For the Filling:
To a mixing bowl, add peaches and lemon juice and stir gently together. Fold in all of the remaining filling ingredients until combined. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8x8 baking pan.
!For the Crust/Crumble:
In another mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles crumbs. In a small bowl, mix together the egg and vanilla. Add the egg/vanilla mixture to the crumb mixture and stir to incorporate.
Press half of the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the baking pan, making sure to completely cover the bottom to the edges.
Spread the peach filling mixture evenly over the crust.
Crumble the remaining crumb mixture over the top of the peaches.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 9 squares and serve.
