Peach Crumb Bars

As a rule, my husband Geoff is fairly opposed to fruit in desserts. I think he views fruit as a healthy food, and therefore thinks it has no business ruining his dessert. If some fruit is going to sneak its way in, it had better be blueberries. I, on the other hand, love fruit, sometimes eat just plain fruit for dessert, and am especially partial to peaches. Every year, Geoff’s mom gives us all the peaches off her trees, and we can several dozen jars to eat all year round… yum! A few days ago I decided that I needed a little taste of summer in this unending non-winter that we seem to be having. (Seriously. It won’t snow, and it’s always around 40 degrees and gray outside. I think the weather needs to decide to be either spring or winter, instead of this weather purgatory we seem to be stuck in.) I pulled out two jars of peaches, threw together the crumb crust, and baked up some heaven. So, so, so good!

Peach Crumb Bars

for the bars:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter
1 egg, lightly beaten

for the filling:
5 cups peaches, peeled and diced (about 7 peaches)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil or spray with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two forks, then mix in the egg to form a crumbly dough. Press half of the dough into the prepared pan.

To make the filling, toss the peaches with the lemon juice. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then toss with the peach mixture. Spread the peaches over the dough in the pan,  the crumble the remaining dough over the top, covering the peaches evenly. Bake 45 minutes, or until light golden brown. Let cool before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

adapted from Brown-Eyed Baker