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.

Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce Chicken

I can't believe it's almost the end of summer. My biggest lament is that peach season will soon end. Please tell me that you still have peaches in your kitchen. If not, then I hope your nearest grocery store is still having some incredible sale on them. The reason I say this is because once you see this peach BBQ sauce, you're gonna feel the urge to grab any and all peaches you have and make it as soon as possible.

The Hungry Homebody linked this recipe up to my Sweets for a Saturday linky party several weeks ago. The moment I saw it, I knew this was the recipe for me, especially since I had a fridge bin full of ripe, sweet peaches all ready to be used. But, wouldn't you know it. I got all geared up to make this sauce one weekend and then realized that I only had peaches and NONE of the other ingredients. Apparently, my stomach was running ahead of my brain.

Not to worry. This past week, I made sure to put every one of those things on my shopping list and returned home full of anticipation. The sauce is super easy to make since all it requires is throwing everything into a pot and letting it cook down. Naturally, I spiced things up quite a bit with more red pepper flakes, a dose of my beloved sriracha sauce, and some chipotle chili powder. The heat goes really well with the peaches, but if heat's not your thing, you can leave it out and you'll still have a pot of deliciousness.

This sauce blew my tastebuds away. I put some onto chicken breasts and had one divine dinner. I think this would also be fantastic with meatballs (that's the next thing on my menu) and just as good with fish. Now I know why Hungry Homebody made so much of it. You'll definitely want some jars packed away to use throughout the year until peach season comes around again. Speaking of which, I think I'm gonna have to go buy myself a bushel of peaches because I need more of this sauce ASAP.

Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce (adapted from The Hungry Homebody)

4 c. peaches, chopped, pitted, and peeled
2/3 c. red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2/3 c. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium high heat and cook for 25 min. Puree with a handstick blender to your desired consistency.

Peach Jam Spirals

They say, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I say, "When life gives you jam, make jam spiral cookies." I confess that I don't know anything about canning. So, after making a batch of peach jam, I realized there would be no way to keep the jam from going bad before I could eat it all up. Or was there? Oh yes there was!!! The answer was clear . . .

Sticky, fruity, crunchy, yummy jam spiral cookies!!!

By itself, the cookie dough doesn't have much flavor, so make sure you use a jam that you like because that is what will dominate the taste and sweetness of your cookie.

The verdict? The cookie portion of the spirals almost reminds me of biscotti after it's been baked once. It's got a little crunch to it, yet the cookie is still toothsome. It's also wonderful to be able to get a little taste of jam in every bite. I would probably increase the sugar in the cookie dough, but other than that, these cookies are a great way to use up your leftover jam. So remember, when life gives you jam, make jam spiral cookies!!!

Note: These cookies also freeze with no trouble at all. The funny thing is, they tasted even better after they had been in the freezer for a while. Interesting, but it works for me.


Jam Spirals (from Cook Almost Anything At Least Once)

250 grams plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
125 grams caster sugar
125 grams butter, softened slightly and cubed
2 eggs, lightly whisked
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Jam - use your favourite

Sift the flour with the baking powder and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and briefly process to mix. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract and slowly add to the mixture. Process until the dough starts coming together to form a ball.

If you prefer you can do this all by hand.

Turn out onto a board and knead briefly to form a smooth dough - press out to form a thick rectangle (this makes it easier to roll to the right shape). Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge for a few hours to harden slightly.

Roll out onto a sheet of baking paper to form a large rectangle 25cmx35cm.

Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Using the baking paper as a guide, roll the dough from its longest side to form a tight roll. Once the roll is formed, use the baking paper as a guide to form a cover around it, screwing the edges to tighten the roll. Then wrap this in foil and store in the fridge. You'll need to rest it awhile to firm up the dough and make cutting easier.

When it's time to make the cookies, take it out and slice into 1/2" thick cookies. Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the cookies on a lined cookie sheet. Bake until the cookies are golden, about 15-20 min. Cool on wire trays. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

This recipe is linked to:










All That Splatters' "Weekend Blog Showcase"
La Bella Vita's "Seasonal Saturdays"
Girli Chef's Hearth n' Soul Hop
All the Small Stuff's "Tuesdays at the Table"
Blessed With Grace's "Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays"
Scrap Addict 4 Sure's "Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays"

Peach Jam

I absolutely love peaches. Eat them fresh, eat them frozen, sprinkled with cinnamon, it's all good to me. So, when my grocery store was selling peaches for less than 50 cents a pound, well, I couldn't resist. I went and bought 12 pounds of peaches. No, I wasn't buying them for anyone else to eat, there's only me. No, I wasn't crazy. It's just that I love a good deal and I do eat a lot of fruit. Still, that was an awful lot of peaches. What could I do with them all?

How about making some Peach Jam? Sound like a good idea? It did to me. Now, I had never made jam before in my life, but there's a first time for everything. The recipe that I found didn't require a lot of ingredients, but it is a bit time consuming. First you need to skin the peaches by blanching them in hot water and shocking them in cold water. Then, the skins are "supposed to" come right off. Well, mine came half off and the other half stuck stubbornly on the fruit. In hindsight, I guess my water may not have been hot enough, or I didn't blanch them long enough. Either way, I ended up just skinning the rest off with a knife.

Then, I cut up my peaches, added a little lemon juice, and set them to cook on the stove. It took a little longer than the recipe stated for my peaches to break down, but soon I was adding my sugar and waiting for it to gel. Ten minutes later, and I had this beautiful bowl of jam to show for all my hard work.


Yum. It's like a bowl of golden sunshine. I added a little cinnamon to mine to give it a little kick. Now, what should I do with all this sweetness?


Maybe eat it on toast. Yeah, that sounds good. I think that's what I'll do. The last of summer never tasted so good.

Peach Jam (adapted from Mix, Mix . . . Stir, Stir)

1 lb. fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. sugar

Place a small plate in the refrigerator to have chilled for testing the set of the jam.

Place the peaches and lemon juice in a 3 qt. heavy-bottom sauce pan. Over medium-low heat, let the peaches cook for about 15 min. to become very soft and release their juices. Stir frequently to prevent burning and lower the heat if necessary. As the peaches soften, mash them with the back of a spoon.

Once the peaches have broken down and cooked for 15 min., reduce the heat and stir in the sugar. After the sugar is completely dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the jam to a boil for 5 min.

Place a small dollop of jam on the chilled plate and put it in the refrigerator for a minute or two. To check for setting, push one edge of the jam toward the center of the dollop. If the surface wrinkles, the jam is set and can be removed from the heat. If not, continue to cook and re-test every few minutes. Transfer the jam to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 1-2 weeks.

Makes 1 cup