Creamy Peach Pie Bars

I made this today and it’s a knockout. Fantastic base recipe. I made a few changes - almond flour by weight instead of pecans, and a mix of fruit by weight (peaches, blueberries, and raspberries) - and it still worked beautifully. Will make again in the future for a gathering, or maybe just for us when we want a decadent treat!

Delicious! I had particularly juicy peaches so I added a tablespoon of cornstarch along with the sugar to thicken them up. I was worried about how thin the filling was but it all baked up to a wonderful firm but creamy consistency. Freeze the whole pan then pop the bars out in one piece and cut into squares while frozen for easy handling and nice clean edges

Clh53 I believe you are baking the crust at 350, and returning the filled crust to the oven at 325. If you bake the crust hours ahead, you’ll want to just turn the oven off when the crust is done. If you’re adding the filling immediately, I wouldn’t worry about timing after lowering the temp. Opening the oven door to remove the crust, and then again to put the filled baking dish back in should drop the oven temp sufficiently.

Friends raved over this! I was curious why you needed to cook the peaches for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar. Seemed that would break down the lovely crescent shape of the peaches. So, instead, I sliced the peaches first and added the sugar and the lemon juice. By the time the crust and filling were made the sugar was dissolved and my peaches all still had their shape. The results were excellent.

I made this dessert today and it came out great. However, I believe it might be helpful to other bakers to share a couple of things: 1) the filling comes out VERY liquid, but it will harden in the oven and 2) because of the filling being so liquid you will need the parchment paper to overhang on ALL 4 sides.

I am so pleased with this recipe! I used Trader Joe’s ginger cookies for the crust (a full container made almost a 1/4” crust). The steps were easy to follow and it’s a nice pace between each step wash up so everything is clean once the bars are in the oven. I had a lot of liquid from cooking the peaches which worried me but it all turned out delicious!

Make sure you're using a 9x13 pan; they are typically at least 2 inches deep. That depth is what will keep the filling from spilling over. The parchment is meant to make removing the finished bars from the pan easier. When the dessert - crust, filling, and topping - is finished baking, and then cooled to room temperature on a rack, it is not necessary to put the rack into the refrigerator with the pan.

Hi John, As a British person living in the U.S I thought about this often and concluded the nearest equivalent to graham crackers would be digestive biscuits. Prompted by your question today I looked up the problem online and found the following quite interesting discussion www.Sugargirlcookies.com/crackers/What-is -the-difference-between-graham-crackers-and-digestive-biscuits. See also: www.sylvestersrestaurant.com Enjoy the recipe whether with Graham or digestive Best wishes, Monica

Delicious. You could use just about any combination of fruit. I used peaches and blueberries. I skipped the cooking step for the fruit and just combined with a bit of sugar and lemon juice, then spooned them on. They held up beautifully and kept their color.

I made this exactly as written for the filling but substituting a different graham cracker crust because someone coming over has a nut allergy. Totally awesome. My only note is that it should be removed from the oven when the middle is still a little wiggly or it will be a touch on the overcooked side. Will definitely make again!

Is possible to freeze these bars?

Lovely results! I only had Neufchâtel cream cheese and half-and-half vs full fat for both ingredients, but they were great subs. For those with nut allergies, I suggest using more graham cracker crumbs subbed *by weight* for the crushed nuts or some oat flour by weight to give the crust a slightly nuttier flavor. Appreciated the suggestion to freeze the cooled bars briefly…simplified removing the product from the pan to slice them.

A question: When the recipe calls for the oven temp to be lowered mid-way, as this one does, do I wait for the oven to cool to the lower temp, or just continue by returning the pan to the oven? If the former, how long approximately would I expect it to take to reach the lower temp (as this assumes I don't have a proper oven thermometer!)?

The Demerara sugar is a good idea. For those unfamiliar with the hazards of placing a 9 x 13 glass pan under the broiler, DO NOT DO IT. It will likely explode. "Oven safe" does not mean "broiler safe." If you want to have a burnt sugar topping, you would need to use a torch, the kind you use to make creme brulee. Do not put the glass pan under the broiler.

I haven't made this yet, but it reminds me of the 1964 Pillsbury Bake-Off grand prize winner: Peacheesy Pie. Since I loved that, I'm sure this is also a winner.