Peach Bars with Canned Peaches

Easy peach bars with canned peaches, pie filling or frozen fruit are delicious. With a crumble on top you can make this dessert with any topping, even fruit cocktail works! This is homemade from scratch but you could make them quicker like our lemon bars with cake mix recipe too.

Once you learn how to make these they are super versatile. Sort of like a small piece of cobbler you can pick one up and enjoy along the way. We used canned fruit this time because it is a great way to make them year round, not just during peach season! (affiliate links present)

Peach Bars with Canned Peaches

You don’t have to buy Dole either, store brand is pretty close to identical…let’s be honest. If I find a great sale I will load up knowing these will be made again and again throughout the year. When it is snowing outside I can dream of summer days with every bite. 😉 I wouldn’t use fresh produce like our Fresh Peach Dump Cake though as there won’t be quite enough juices to make the filling gooey.

How to Make Peach Bars with Frozen Peaches

In the event that you want to use frozen fruit, no problem!! You will want to defrost them though ahead of time. You can do this in a bag in the fridge overnight or in a bag set in a bowl of cool water for about an hour until tender.

Peach Bars with Cake Mix

If you wanted to make an easier crust you can use this cake mix hack by making the bottom with yellow or white dry mix, an egg and melted butter. Once you have that dough, push 3/4 of it into the pan and top with your delicious peach pie filling or mashed canned fruit that has been sweetened. Crumble the remaining 1/4 on and bake. Cool, slice and enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For a cake mix pie crust you will need;

1. Box of cake mix – white or yellow is best
2. 1 stick of melted butter
3. One egg

Ingredients

• Browned butter will make a deeper smooth flavor
• Brown sugar makes the crust sweet
• Cinnamon we love to pair with this fruit
• Nutmeg is a great touch for your peach crumble bars
• A pinch of salt will bring out the sweetness more
• All purpose flour help make the butter crust
• 1 can of peaches (sliced peached that have been drained)
  • if using pie filling you do not need items below
• A squeeze of fresh lemon or just use lemon juice
• Sugar can be adjusted to your tastebuds
• Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract are optional for the filling

Can you make peach bars with pie filling?

Yes!! Another great option for sure. Just follow our recipe for the kinda’ like shortbread pie crust on the bottom. Then you could skip the other steps for the “filling” and use a can of your choice spooned atop instead. Using this is not only easier and faster but you have a number of fruit options as far as that goes.

Can you make peach bars dairy free?

Yes!! All you would need to swap out would be the butter. There is a vegan plant based product you can find in the same area from Country Crock we use often for my husband. Used in baking you can hardly tell the difference and is lactose free so everyone can enjoy it together.

How to Make Peach Bars Without Cake Mix

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking dish with parchment paper.
• Melt butter and place over medium heat to cook until browned.
• Pour the browned butter into a large bowl with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, whisking everything together.
• Add the flour the mixture and mix together create a crumbly dough forms.
• Pour 3/4 of the dough into the prepared baking dish. Line pan with dough to create the crust of the bars.
  • If using canned peach filling skip next two steps.
• Pour the drained peaches into a bowl. Mash fruit slightly. Drain again from excess juice and place into a sauce pan.
• Add the lemon juice and sugar. Let them cook for 15 minutes stirring every minute or so until the peaches start cooking down and a syrup forms. Add the nutmeg and cinnamon and mix together.
• Pour the peaches on top of the crust. Take the remaining dough and lightly crumble on top of the peach layer as the streusel.
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the streusel has browned.
• Let cool for at least 30 minutes to room temperature before slicing

You could make this a puff pastry tart too with the already made and defrosted dough on the bottom. Use the same filling and could add some oatmeal crumble to the top too if you’d like.

Can you make fruit cocktail bars the same way?

Yes, and they are amazing. I wouldn’t mash that at all since the pieces inside are already diced smaller. Still drain the juice, heat with a bit of additional sugar but it is a nice way to change this one up and have a different combination of fruits in the middle layer.