I didn’t think these bars were going to turn out as delicious as they did! On a whim, I played with this recipe and changed the filling to a simple one of jammy peaches with a crumble topping. They are rich, buttery, dense and I’m not saying you should add vanilla ice cream, but you should add vanilla ice cream.
I had some bruised peaches in the fridge and they weren’t the kind to just eat as is. You can of course use perfectly non-bruised ones too, but overripe fruit works great in baked stuff. Just a tiny bit of brown sugar helps them sweeten and caramelise in the oven and turn into something quite remarkable. I have a thinner layer here since I didn’t have too many peaches to begin with, but you can certainly make a thicker filling as well.
I baked this shortbread in a loaf pan and it makes a small batch of 8 bars. I saved a little of the flour-butter-sugar mixture for a crumble topping later on, with some walnuts tossed in. They get crunchy and toasty in the oven and add so much flavour! I highly recommend them, or even almonds.
This is a soft and buttery shortbread that’s more cakey than crumbly. It has baking soda in it and a fair bit of butter so the texture is not like traditional shortbread and I love it this way! It’s dense in a good way, and a little bit of cinnamon in the dough takes it up several notches.
Once baked, the shortbread needs to be completely cooled before you can cut into it. They’ll fall apart otherwise, trust me. They keep well in the fridge or freezer and definitely make a great breakfast because…fruit?
Anyway, I hope you make this today!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Peach Shortbread Bars (Eggless)
Ingredients
For the shortbread crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
- 1/2 cup wholewheat flour (55 gms, see notes)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
- 1/2 cup chilled butter, cubed (115 gms)
- 1 to 2 tbsps ice cold water
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional but recommended
For the filling
- 6 to 7 ripe peaches
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- First make the crust. In a large bowl, sift the flours with the baking soda, cinnamon and salt (if using). Stir in the sugar.
- Add the cold butter cubes and rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs and there is no dry flour left. This could take a couple of minutes.
- Remove 3/4 cup of this mixture and place it in the fridge to use as the crumble topping later on.
- To the remaining mixture in the bowl, add the ice water and bring it all together into a soft dough that holds together. You may not need all of the water, so add it slowly.
- Place the dough on a large piece of clingfilm, pat it into a disc, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, peel and slice the peaches (not too thin or they'll become mushy). Toss them with the brown sugar in a small bowl and refrigerate while the dough is chilling.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a 9x5 loaf tin with non-stick or greased baking paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
- Now unwrap the chilled dough and then place it in the bottom of the pan. Spread it out evenly, pressing down as you go, making sure it's right up to the corners. The dough is not sticky and will yield easily.
- Spread the peaches over the dough. Then toss the walnuts into the reserved crumble topping from step 3 and sprinkle it all over the peaches. Press down lightly to help it stick.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top has browned, leaving it in the oven for a few more minutes if needed.
- Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the paper overhang and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Slice into 8 bars and serve with vanilla ice cream!
- Store at room temperature in an airtight tin for 1 to 2 days after which it is best to transfer them to the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for longer. Happy baking!
Notes
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