Peach Crumb Bars with Hazelnut Streusel Recipe

Name: Peach Crumb Bars with Hazelnut Streusel
Yield: 32 bars
Ingredients: 5 large peaches; 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 4 tsp cornstarch; Streusel Topping:; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar; 3 cups flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Sep 16, 2011 by Dara 54 Comments

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Today is a special day. My eldest son turns 10 and these peach crumb bars are for him. Yesterday we were talking about how “10” is an auspicious year – after all, he can say he’s been alive for a decade. When I reminded him that yesterday was the last time his age was ever going to be in the single digits, a look of melancholy crossed his face. Perhaps we’re both aware that the childhood years are fleeting and a time to be treasured. The past year has brought some changes – he likes to listen to music on the iPod, spending time with friends is something he wants to do more and more often and little sparks of pre-teen attitude have shot out of his mouth (if I had a dollar for every time he rolled his eyes…)

Through all of the changes, however, there is a boy who still asks to snuggle on the couch, who wants to hold my hand while we walk upstairs to bed and who asks to play catch or a game of cards with us. I am grateful for these moments and try to be present in them. I want to remember how his warm little hand feels in mine and I like to watch the sparkle in his eyes when he laughs at his little brother’s jokes.

This is the picture he would want me to show you. He loves sports with a passion and this picture is from a fun afternoon we had as a family, playing water balloon baseball in the backyard.

This picture, however, is the one that I would choose because it shows a boy who is confident in himself and shows a softness behind his eyes.

Today, on his birthday, I honor him and his warm heart, his desire to learn, his sense of fun and his compassion. He takes after his dad in many ways, including a love for fruit desserts. Each summer I make a fruit crumb bar. The first summer after I started writing this blog, it was Spiked Blueberry Crumb Bars and last summer it was Summer Cherry & Crystallized Ginger Crumb Bars. With a batch of sweet, juicy peaches sitting on our counter, I couldn’t resist cutting them up and layering them between a crust and topping of hazelnut streusel. What did my 10 year old think? Well, let’s just say they passed the “tween” test. My husband and 7-year old thought they were pretty darn good, too.

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Peel the peaches and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. I will be posting a “How to” on peeling peaches tomorrow. I know, I know…cart before the horse and all that.

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine granulated and brown sugars. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Cut in cold butter pieces with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Stir a lightly beaten egg and chopped, toasted hazelnuts into the flour mixture.

Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the peach mixture over the crust, including the accumulated juices. Sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the peaches.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is light brown. Left the bars cool on a rack and then place in the fridge to chill. This will make the bars easier to cut and remove from the pan. Cut into 32 squares and serve.

Other fruit crumb bars:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Spiked Blueberry Crumb Bars
Cookin’ Canuck’s Summer Cherry & Crystallized Ginger Crumb Bars
White on Rice Couple’s Rhubarb Strawberry Crumb Bars
Food for My Family’s Cherry Almond Crumb Bars
The Virtual Goody Plate’s Pink Lemonade Crumb Bars