It is mine and Adam’s anniversary this week- 4 years married. That’s pretty crazy. I made some peach squares to celebrate. Although we are going out for a nice dinner, we’ll be sure to save some room for these vegan treats afterwards. And we will be topping them with some vanilla vegan ice cream, cause you always need ice cream when celebrating!
With peach season comes so many delicious recipes, it’s hard to know what ones to start with. You start your morning with a fruity-peachy smoothie and oatmeal topped with peaches. By lunchtime you’ll probably need a few of these peach squares and then by dinner time you’ll need a few more. See that was easy. I basically just meal planned your day for you.
These peach crumble bars (as I also like to call them) are kind of a cross between a date square and peach crumble. They stay solid enough to remain a bar (after a little time in the freezer), taking away that “crumble” effect a classic peach crumble would have. Also, how many times do you think I can say crumble in this paragraph?!
Feeling extra peachy these days? Check out these Peach Overnight Oats, or this Vegan Peach Crisp.
here are a few reasons why I love these peach squares, so listen up!
- It tastes so similar to traditional peach crisp, but you don’t need a spoon to enjoy it. Eating food with your hands is where it’s at, right?!
- It is Picky Husband Approved. He’s not normally a huge peach fan. But he ate multiple of these squares in one sitting without taking a breath, so maybe he’s changed his mind about peaches…
- If you have an excess of peaches this is a perfect ready to serve dessert. You can make these a few days in advance and leave them in a sealed container in the freezer. Let them thaw, then serve them up with ice cream.
- Fruit plus granola is my jam, so this is basically my perfect combo- and it just might be yours too!
The best part about this vegan snack is that I bought my peaches just down the road from the cutest little fam. And they were truly the best peaches I’ve ever had. I love living here in the Okanagan, where there is just so much delicious summer produce. I may be biased, but it’s a pretty magical place. But enough about that. You need to get your butt to the market and get some peaches, and then make these yummy little bars.
peach squares
Ingredients
base
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
middle filling
- 3 cups fresh peaches (roughly 3-4 peaches diced, skins removed)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of sea salt
topping
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free oats
- 4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut (not melted, but on the softer side)
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
base
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper. Assemble the base ingredients. Pour the base ingredients into the pan and press down firmly (important step!) by using the back of a metal spoon.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes. The base should be golden. Let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the filling.
filling
- Begin by removing the skins of your peaches. Next, dice the peaches until you have 3 cups. Place the peaches along with all the other ingredients into a high-speed blender or a food processor and pulse. You can keep the batter a little chunky if you want or make it smooth.
- Pour the batter into a saucepan and bring to a boil to help it thicken. Let it simmer for 5 minutes and then pour onto the base that has already been baked.
topping
- Add all the topping ingredients to a bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together until the oats are clumping together. Add the topping directly on top of the filling.
- Place the pan into the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the oat topping is looking golden.
- Take the pan out of the oven. It will resemble more of a crumble at this point. Let it cool for 15 minutes and then pop the pan into the freezer for 1-2 hours. After this, you can cut your bars and enjoy. I suggest keeping the squares in the fridge or freezer. If storing in the freezer, let thaw for 15 minutes before enjoying. These are amazing topping with vanilla ice cream!
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Well this is the PERFECT combo- non?! I can’t wait to make these and sink my teeth in! MMM… another winner…
So Robin, did you and Adam have these for desert on your anniversary? They look incredible and they sound delicious!
We were TOO FULL after a lovely meal at Cedar Creek. But the next day we may have nibbled on them 🙂