Peach Pie Bars

What do you do when great fruit comes on sale? For instance, let's say peaches for only 49 cents a pound? Do you rush to the store, buy 10 pounds of it and start making a list of all the delicious things you're going to make with it? Because, let's face it, when it's that cheap, you don't have to use it sparingly. You have full permission to go crazy, which is exactly what I did.

This is a time that only comes around once a year and I wait for it with excitement. My head is spinning with the idea of making quarts of peach sorbet and peach sauce again, as well as trying out all sorts of new peachy keen recipes, which I've been pinning like mad.

Which brings me to this recipe for peach pie bars that I saw on Pink Parsley. The idea of a creamy, sweet, tangy, peachy filling sandwiched between a buttery crust AND topping (gotta have topping!) just made my mouth water. And what with those pounds of peaches on my counter just begging to be used, I knew this would be the way to go.

I did make several changes to the recipe. For one thing, I decided to spice up the crust and topping with some cinnamon, ginger powder, and nutmeg. Then, I used some brown sugar in the filling and increased the cinnamon. I also used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream since that's what I had on hand.

These peach pie bars were OMG good!!! The best way to describe them would be a layer of crust on the bottom, then a thick custardy layer (almost like a clafouti), then a creamy peachy layer, all topped with a crackly cinnamony-sugary crust. And even then, that description does not do it justice in terms of how delicious this is. I'm definitely glad I spiced things up and would probably add even more spice next time. So, if you've got peaches somewhere in your house, put them towards a worthy cause and make these bars!

Peach Pie Bars (adapted from Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen, recipe seen on Pink Parsley)

Crust and Topping:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ginger powder
dash nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled

Fruit Filling:

2 large eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. flour
dash salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 - 3 peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and spices and whisk together. Cut the butter into 1/2" cubes and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly.

Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture to use as the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake 12-15 min. Cool for at least 10 min.

To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, brown sugar, yogurt, flour, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the peaches and spoon the mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture (I kept this chilled in my fridge until I was ready to use it.) evenly over the filling and bake 45-55 min. Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.