Ingredients
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1¾ cups sliced Almonds
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1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose Flour
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⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces) Granulated Sugar
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⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces) plus 1 tablespoon packed light Brown Sugar
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Salt
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12 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
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1½ pounds (6 cups) frozen Peach
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½ cup Peach
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½ teaspoon grated Lemon Zest
Directions
Combining sweet, juicy fruit with rich, tender shortbread creates an appealing contrast of flavors and textures. We wanted to make a bar cookie featuring peaches, but quickly realized their challenge: Peaches contain so much moisture that they required precooking or the bars would be too wet. Frozen peaches were more convenient than fresh (no peeling and pitting) and their quality proved more consistent; perhaps most importantly, they’re available year-round. We processed the thawed peaches with peach jam and cooked them in a large skillet to rapidly drive off moisture. The jam intensified the peach flavor, and a little lemon zest and juice brightened it further. Almonds are a natural pairing with peaches, so we ground a generous amount for the crust and also added sliced almonds to the streusel topping. Our recipe worked so well that we made a version with frozen cherries, and another featuring dried apricots. To drain the thawed peaches, we spread them on a dish towel.
Steps
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1
Done
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil. |
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2
Done
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Process 1¼ cups almonds, flour, granulated sugar, ⅓ cup brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with few pea-size pieces, about 20 pulses. Set aside ½ cup mixture in bowl for topping. |
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3
Done
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Sprinkle remaining flour mixture into prepared pan and press firmly into even layer. Bake until crust is fragrant and golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. (Crust must still be hot when filling is added.) |
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4
Done
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Meanwhile, mix remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and reserved flour mixture together, and pinch mixture between your fingers into clumps of streusel. |
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5
Done
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Pulse peaches and jam in food processor until peaches are cut into rough ¼-inch chunks, 5 to 7 pulses. Transfer peach mixture to 12-inch nonstick skillet and cook over high heat until mixture has thick, jam-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon zest and juice and pinch salt. |
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6
Done
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Spread cooked peach mixture evenly over hot crust, then sprinkle with streusel and remaining ½ cup almonds. Bake until almonds are golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let bars cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, remove bars from pan. Cut into 24 pieces before serving. |
