Tips:
- Watch your butter. The process of browning evaporates water out of butter and cooks the milk solids. This process takes just a few minutes, and it might seem like nothing is happening, but you can go from melted butter to burnt butter quickly if you don’t keep an eye on the pan. You will know its done when its foaming in the pan, and you no longer hear the butter popping and fizzing – that means all the water has evaporated. It should smell nutty and you should see little flecks of milk solids that are a deep brown color.
- You don’t have to peel your peaches, but you can.
- Chilling is key for clean-cut bars. I know it’s tempting to just slice in right when they cool down enough to not burn the roof of your mouth, but have some restraint. Let the bars cool to room temperatures in their pan on a wire rack, then using the parchment to lift them out, place them in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 15 or so minutes before slicing. Use a large, very sharp knife and cut in long, even motions to maintain the integrity of the crumble topping.
Ingredients:
- Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (67 grams)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter , cut into tablespoon-size pieces (198 grams)
- Filling
- 4 medium peaches, pits removed and cut into half-inch slices (about 1.4 pounds)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (105 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch square tin or baking dish and line with parchment paper. You can also grease the parchment to further prevent sticking.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Cook the butter, stirring and scraping the bottom occasionally, until it begins to bubble and pop. Continue cooking until it starts foaming and you can see dark brown flecks swimming in the butter when you stir. You’ll know its done browning when you no longer hear bubbling and popping – as that’s when all the water has been cooked off. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- To a small mixing bowl, add the sliced peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt, breaking up any lumps you see.
- Pour the browned butter into the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently mix them together until they form a crumbly dough.
- Dump about 1/2 to 2/3 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the tin. Using an offset spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup, press the dough into the tin, completely covering the bottom in an even layer.
- Give the peach mixture one last stir and pour it onto the base layer. Spread it out evenly.
- Crumble the remaining topping over the peaches.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 50-60 minutes or until the topping is turning golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the center of the tin.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- Run a knife along the sides of the tin to loosen the bars. Lift the bars out using the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 bars and serve – or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.