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Sweet fresh peaches are baked between layers of brown sugar and oats to form a chewy sweet crust for these Peach Oatmeal Bars.
Anytime I bake peaches into something it reminds me of my favorite peach breakfast. Peaches and cinnamon pair perfectly for your next family breakfast.
Peach Oatmeal Bars
Fresh, sweet and so juicy peaches are the most amazing treat when they’re perfectly ripe. A ripe peach will have a sweet peachy smell to it and the skins will slide right off when you peel them.
What I absolutely love about these oatmeal peach bars is that they do use fresh peaches. My preference when baking is to use real fruit as much as possible.
Most peach bar recipes use a preserve or jam for the filling. That is fine but it gives the bars more of a dessert-like sometimes too sweet quality in my opinion. Real fruit-filled bars I can justify enjoying for breakfast.
Peach bars travel easily to my kids’ activities and events. Bonus, they always get rave reviews when we share them.
I love how nicely they freeze as well. I highly recommend keeping some on hand for those last-minute, “hey mom I need. . . ” requests.
Peach Bars
Sweet and cinnamony peach bars are so easy to make. It only takes a few minutes to stir the crust together and press half of it into the pan.
Toss the peaches in sugar and spices and layer them over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining buttery crumbles over the peaches and pop it in the oven.
Peach Breakfast Bars
When baking with peaches I have noticed a difference in white peach and yellow peaches. I noticed that white peaches were not baking up the same as yellow peaches. They were losing their shape and really cooking down in the dish.
After some research, I learned that white peaches actually have a high sugar content, which explains why we love to eat them but they weren’t the best for baking. That being said stick to yellow for your baking.
As I pondered why it took me so long to learn this the answer came quite easily. Perfectly ripe peaches do not last at my house so I really have to plan ahead to have enough to bake with.
It seems like everytime a kid goes outside, they grab a peach from the basket to eat. No complaints from this mom though when they eat fruits and vegetables for snacks.
My other peach baking discovery has been a big time and frustration saver. Don’t peel the peaches. Yes, you read that correctly, leave the peels on the peaches. After baking, you won’t even notice they are there.
Now if I have to peel peaches and they aren’t quite at the perfectly ripe stage where the skins slide off, blanch them. Carefully drop the peaches into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Then plunge them into an ice bath.
The skins literally slide off. You won’t even need a knife.
Yes! You can use frozen peaches for these oatmeal bars. I would suggest a couple of things. First, let the peaches thaw. Second, be sure to drain off excess liquid. Lastly consider adding an extra tablespoon of corn starch.
Frozen peaches tend to have excess juices when they thaw so discarding that liquid and adding a tad more corn starch will ensure your oatmeal bars aren’t soggy.
Peach Bars Recipe
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter and set aside. Combine the peaches with the white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir to coat and add the lemon juice. Stir again and then let the peaches rest while preparing the crust.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter. Stir to combine.
- Press half of this mixture into a buttered 9×13 pan. Pour the fruit over the bottom crust and then sprinkle the rest of the dry mixture on top.
- Bake for 34-36 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown. Let cool completely and slice into bars.
Recipes with peaches are a seasonal favorite, and are always high on my list. Crisps, crunches, coffee cake, pound cake, or cobbler we love the sweet freshness of peaches in countless desserts.
This cobbler is filled with fresh juicy peaches and then topped with a generous cinnamon sugar crust that manages to be both buttery and flaky while never becoming soggy, even after a day or two in the refrigerator.
I don’t put up many canned items. However, this wonderfully spiced peach jam with just a hint of cinnamon has been a staple in our home for about 15 years.
Peaches aren’t just for baking. They bring sweetness to summer salads like this Peach Caprese Salad. And next time you’re grilling, try this Grilled Peach Salad for a memorable dinner side.
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