Vegan Peach Pie Bars | Fragrant Vanilla Cake

I had a bunch of peaches that I needed to use up and peach pie sounded good, but I wanted something that was more easily shareable so I decided on Vegan Peach Pie Bars instead!

Peach pie is so good in the summer! When I make it, I like to give it a crumble topping so I did the same for these bars! For the crust I made a classic butter pie crust made with vegan butter. I used whole wheat pastry flour in these, but if you wanted to use all purpose flour or even gluten free all purpose flour that would work as well for a gluten free option (I have used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour and it works well).

I kept the filling simple with peaches and a minimal amount of sugar to sweeten, and a touch of vanilla and cinnamon to make them extra delicious! I used oats in my crumble topping because my Mom always did and I love the texture they give.

These baked up nicely and smelled so amazing when I pulled them from the oven! I could not wait to sample one! They are so delicious with sweet jammy peaches on a buttery crust and crunchy cinnamon oat topping! If you have peaches on hand, definitely give these Vegan Peach Pie Bars a try!

Vegan Peach Pie Bars
Makes 16

Crust:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Filling:

• 3 medium or 4 small peaches, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Topping:

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour
• 3 Tbsp vegan butter
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment.
2. Mix together the crust ingredients, and press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until set.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the peach filling and set aside.
4. Mix together the streusel filling in a bowl, and scrunch together with hands until it clumps up.  Set aside until crust is done.
5. Remove the crust from the oven and spread the peach filling out over it (making sure it is all flat and evenly distributed), then sprinkle with the streusel.  Place back in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the streusel is lightly browned and peaches are tender.
6. Once the bars have finished baking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.
7. Cut into 16 bars, and enjoy!