Peach Bars

• Peaches. We need about 3 cups of fresh sliced peaches. This is about 6 small peaches that have been peeled, pitted and sliced into about 10-12 slices each. The best way to peel peaches is to score an X in the bottom of the fruit, and dip it in boiling water for 60 seconds. Then, dunk the hot peaches in a bowl of ice water and let cool before peeling. (I use this method for my peach cobbler, too!)
• Lemon. We need two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice to marinate and bring out the flavor of the peaches.
• Brown Sugar. To sweeten the filling, use two tablespoons of brown sugar. If you don’t have brown sugar, swap in an equal amount of granulated sugar.
• Butter. Fourteen (yes, 14) tablespoons of unsalted butter that has been softened. This is for the top and bottom crust of the peach bars.
• Granulated Sugar. We’ll lightly sweeten the crust with 2/3 cup of granulated sugar.
• Flour. Measure out 1 1/3 cups of flour for the shortbread crust.
• Cinnamon. Instead of stirring the cinnamon into the fruit, I like to stir it into the crust.
• Cornstarch. To make the peaches in the peach bars thicken and pie-like, we’ll stir two tablespoons of cornstarch into the filling before baking.

First, marinate the peaches. Combine them in a large bowl with the brown sugar and lemon juice. Stir very well and set aside while you make the crust.

In a separate bowl, add the butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix together very well until a dough forms.

Once the dough is formed, remove 1/2 cup of it and save it for the topping.

Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.

Now that the peaches have marinated, stir in the cornstarch before pouring them over the crust.

Divide the reserved 1/2 cup of dough over the surface of the peaches, and bake for 40 minutes, until the fruit filling is bubbling and the edges of the crust are golden brown.