Peach Crumble Bars

And sometimes I get ahead of myself. I bought peaches way back in June and they were weird. Their sweet fragrance indicated they were ripe, but they felt rock hard. After a few days of the smell starting to get a little too sweet, I decided it was time. I cut them open and they were still rock hard. I let them sit for days until they started rotting-still rock hard. Ugh.

The lesson here is to buy produce while it's in season! That's one of my goals in addition to buying more locally. The buying locally goal tanked this year. I went to the farmer's market once and it was crowded and not may people were wearing masks (including vendors). I live in Ohio. After that, I decided no more farmer's market for awhile.

I'm also reaching a burnout point. I was going crazy cooking and baking for the first four months of the pandemic. It was a dream come true. I wasn't buying any takeout. I felt healthier and was saving money. But then I would put off doing the millions of dishes all of that cooking and baking produced. Then I started to get very very tired. I've been behind on the blog and haven't been posting recipes. It's been frustrating for me, but at the same time I started a new job, had a death in the family, and OH there's a pandemic. I know I need to cut myself slack. I think most of us need to during this time.

And it's ok to eat a little more dessert...

About the recipe

I'm obsessed with shortbread crusts. I first started using them when I wanted to make cheesecake bars and didn't have any graham crackers. Now I'm hooked. They're so perfectly crunchy, and a great texture alongside the soft peaches. The crumble topping gives it that final, sweet crunch.

Create a parchment paper sling so you can easily lift out your bars. I like to hold it down using binder clips. Just remember to remove them before baking!

Press your crust into your baking dish. Refrigerate and then bake for 15 minutes.

Add the filling and top with the crumble topping.

Let cool completely before cutting to ensure the filling has solidifed. After cooling, I also like to put it in the fridge for 2-4 hours.