Blueberry Peach Pie Bars

Peach season is undoubtedly one of my favorites. There is little as wonderful as biting into a fragrant, juicy peach, and feeling the juice dribble down your chin and arms as you enjoy the true flavor of summer. I hate getting messy when I eat, but I love peaches, so I’ve learned to just let it slide. Last fall I went apple picking, and can remember sneaking into the cordoned off peach part of the orchard, plucking the last of the plump orange fruits from the trees. Those peaches were incredible — so fragile and tender I had to carry them oh-so-gently back to the car, carefully giving them their own space on the car seat for the ride home. But they were worth it — rule breaking and all.

The peaches I used in these bars were rightfully purchased from the local farm store near my parents house, and they too were delicious. Not quite ripe in their centers, but absolutely perfect for baking. I paired them with Massachusetts native blueberries in these pie bars, and the results were just heavenly. My parents had company over the evening I made these, so before departing for drinks with an old friend, I kindly asked my Mom to save half the pan so I could snap some blog photos the next day.

However, hours later I returned home to find a measly 4 bars sitting there in the pan, hacked to pieces. When my Mom laughed and said that’s all that was left, I thought she must have been joking. Perhaps she’d sat aside half the pan elsewhere for safe keeping? But no, four grown adults nearly devoured an entire pan of these Blueberry Peach Pie Bars… in one evening. I was admittedly delighted that they enjoyed these so much, so the frustration over having my blog ‘props’ eaten fell away. Luckily with what was left, I still managed to snap a few photos!

These bars are really unique, and a lot different from more traditional fruit pie bars. The filling is really what sets them apart, with a sour cream base, loaded with chunks of fresh fruit. It bakes up into a really tender, flavorful custard that is not too sweet. The flavors here are really nicely balanced, and I found the texture and weight of these bars to be lighter than other similar desserts, making this the ultimate summer barbecue treat. The crust and topping dough I made with half spelt flour — which is quickly becoming my favorite all-purpose substitute — and it gives a nice contrast to the tender centers.

You could absolutely play around with different fruit in this recipe — I think strawberries would be fantastic, and raspberries, too. You could swap out peaches for apricots, or even try cherries. I will definitely be making these again!