Peach Crumble Bars

A plate with three oat and fruit bars, featuring visible chunks of yellow fruit, sits on a marble counter. In the background, a bowl filled with red and orange fruit is partially visible.

These peach crumble bars layer a buttery oat crumble base with a fresh lemon peach filling and a golden crumble topping. An easy summer dessert ready in under an hour plus cooling time.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bars, dessert, peach

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Servings 12 bars

Author Meghankay

Ingredients

The Crumble

1 ¾ cups rolled oats
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter melted and cooled

The Peach Filling

2 cups yellow peaches peeled and diced
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoon cornstarch
Juice of ½ lemon
Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and melted cooled butter. Mix until well combined and the mixture looks like a crumbly, slightly clumped dough.
In a separate bowl, combine the diced peaches, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir until the peaches are evenly coated. Set aside.
Press about two thirds of the crumble mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the base layer.
Spread the peach mixture evenly over the crumble base.
Scatter the remaining crumble mixture evenly over the top of the peaches, covering as much of the surface as possible.
Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Let cool completely in the pan for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars. Do not cut early or the bars will fall apart.

Notes

Let the butter cool before mixing it into the crumble. Hot butter melts the brown sugar and produces a wet, greasy mixture rather than the sandy, clumped crumble texture you want.
Press the bottom crumble layer firmly and evenly. A well-packed base holds the bars together cleanly when cut.
The full 1-hour cool is non-negotiable. The peach filling needs time to set completely before the bars can be sliced without falling apart.
Adjust the lemon zest to your preference. More zest produces a more pronounced citrus note alongside the peach. Less keeps the peach flavor front and center.