Peach Bars with Crumb Topping

It's hard to believe I had these peaches sitting around the kitchen for almost a week before I could decide what to make with them. I thought about pie, I thought about jam, I thought about peach shortbread cookies, but nothing seemed right. I finally decided on these peach crumb bars, and I am certainly glad I did!

I actually added a couple plums to the peaches in the filling and they gave it a bit of a tangy kick. They are the perfect combination of flavors and texture- a buttery, almost shortbread-y crust, sweet peach filling, and a nice, crumbly top. They went fast!

Peach Crumb Bars

1 1/2 cups of sugar, divided into 1 and 1/2 cup portions
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
zest of one lemon
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) of cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/4" pieces
1 large egg
5 cups peeled, chopped peaches- about 5 peaches (I used 4 peaches and 2 small plums)
5 teaspoons of cornstarch
juice of one lemon
1/4 teapoon of nutmeg

Directions: Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan with butter, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Add the salt and lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Mix in the butter and egg with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Place about half of the dough mixture in the greased pan and press down to cover the bottom of the pan.

In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and nutmeg. Gently mix in the peaches and stir lightly until combined. Using a slotted spoon, spread the fruit evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining dough with over the top of the peaches.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Adapted from Annie's Eats, original recipe here.

S'mores Brownie Bars

Last weekend when we went camping again, I was looking for another s'mores inspired treat to bring with us. I made the cookies, for our last adventure, so of course I wanted to do something different. I decided on a s'mores bar, and after browsing around a bit, I chose to combine two different recipes.

These turned out delicious, and exactly what I was hoping for. But let me just say, these were RICH! I certainly can't say I wasn't forewarned- the recipe I used for the brownies was called "Chewy Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies" after all. I'm not complaining (really!), but had I known exactly how sinful these were, I probably would have cut them a bit smaller!

S'mores Brownie Bars

Graham Crust:
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 sticks of butter, melted
2 Tablespoons of sugar

Brownie Layer:
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 Tablespoons of butter
3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder

3 eggs
1 1/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of all-purpose flour

Toppings:
1 handful of mini marshmallows
3 graham crackers, crumbled
2 chocolate bars, roughly chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9X13 pan with foil. Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar and mix until combined. Press the crust into the pan, and push out to all the corners until the bottom is covered. Bake for about 7 minutes, and set on a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, melt butter for the brownies in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in chopped chocolate and cocoa powder, and stir until combined. Immediately remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl (doesn't need to be a stand mixer bowl, since these are all mixed by hand) combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until combined. Add chocolate mixture and stir to incorporate. Stir in flour until just combined. Pour the mixture into the pan over the graham cracker crust and spread to the edges. (This will be one thick batter!)

Bake for about 18 minutes, and then remove pan to sprinkle toppings on the brownies. Try to "glue" down the graham cracker pieces with marshmallow to make them stick. Return to oven, and bake for about 6-8 minutes more, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely, and cut into 24-30 pieces. Enjoy!

Brownies adapted from Annie's Eats, original recipe here, and graham cracker crust from My Baking Addiction, original recipe here.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bars

Remember my pumpkin rules?

Well, I don't know what's gotten into me, but I have not been following them too closely as of late. First I go all crazy and make something as daring as pumpkin lasagna, and now I've gone off and baked a batch of pumpkin bars to (gasp) share!

We were tailgating last weekend with friends, and I wanted to bring a fall-y dessert, to off-set all the savory snacks we'd be having. I didn't want anything fussy or frilly- this is a tailgate now, not a tea-party! So when I found these on my "to-bake" list, I decided they would be perfect for the occasion.

They were a big hit! These turned out to be like a combination of cake and a brownie in texture, and the white chocolate and butterscotch chips were a perfect touch!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Bars

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1 cup of butterscotch chips

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 baking pan with foil.

Mix the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl, and set aside.

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree until well combined. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and butterscotch chips.

Spread batter on foil-covered baking sheet, bringing it to all the edges. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until edges start to pull away and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely, and cut into 24 pieces. Enjoy!

Adapted from Annie's Eats, original recipe here.