Of all the fruits, I think peaches are probably one of my favorite fruits to bake with! I love their sweet flavor and their crisp texture. These gluten free peach bars bring out the delicious, sweet flavor of the peaches and combine it with the buttery flavor of crumble topping! While prepping the peaches for baking with can be a little time consuming, the rest of the peach bar making process goes quickly. They are the perfect sweet treat for a mid-afternoon snack, after meal dessert, or even for breakfast!
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Modern Pioneer Recipe
Gluten-free peach bars are a great modern pioneer recipe! I kind of like to think of these peach bars as a partial pioneer recipe too though. Canned peaches were a popular food in the early pioneer days. Cowboys would pack them in their grub pack and early homesteaders would buy them to have in their pantry. Canned peaches were a sweet treat that the early pioneers would enjoy on occasion!
I’m sure if they had this peach bar recipe, they would be making gluten-free peach bars with their canned peaches, homegrown oats, and homemade butter! As modern pioneers, we can use canned peaches, or even better, utilize some fresh peaches while they are in season!
Using fruits while they are in season is the best way to bake sustainably, get the most nutritional value from the fruit, and support local farms.
Not only are these gluten-free peach bars insanely delicious, but they are also allergy-friendly! These gluten-free peach bars are….
- gluten-free
- egg free
- anti-inflammatory
- tree nut free
- corn free
- refined sugar free
Another great recipe to make that involves peaches is this Grain-free Peach Pie!
Benefits of Peaches
Not only do peaches taste great in these delicious peach bars but they are also providing some helpful health benefits. Peaches are a summer fruit that are native to China and South Asia. They have a fuzzy skin and their flesh surrounds a pit which contains a seed.
There are several different classes into which peaches can be classified based on how the flesh clings to the pit. Clinging stone varieties have flesh that clings tightly to the pit, semi-freestone varieties have flesh that clings slightly to the pit, and free-stone varieties have flesh that hardly clings to the pit at all.
Regardless of the variety, peaches contain some amazing health benefits:
- peach peel and pulp contain good amounts of anti-oxidants
- good source of vitamin C and A
- the alkaline and fiber contained in peaches aids in digestion
- magnesium content in peaches helps reduce anxiety and stress
- ascorbic acid and zinc in peaches boosts the immune system
Did you know that other parts of the peach plant can be used too? Peaches grow on a tree of which the leaves, flowers, kernels, and bark contain health benefits as well! Peach tree leaves are beneficial for respiratory issues and gut health. The peach flowers help with moving things through the digestion system. Peach kernels (seeds) aid with respiratory health and blood circulation. Last of all, peach tree bark can aid with jaundice and dropsy.
Switch Things Up!
Another thing that I like about this peach bar recipe is that it can easily be converted into a variety of other flavors of bars. The versatile crumble base and topping pair perfectly with a variety of other fillings.
Creating a fruit filling using any kind of fruit or berry is quite simple using a dash of coconut sugar and a few tablespoons of tapioca flour. Plus some cinnamon with it pairs well with the fruit! Simmering the fruit for 8-10 minutes will allow it to soften and break down into a nice thick consistency.
Some fun fruit varieties to try might include:
- raspberry bars
- cherry bars
- apple pie bars
- plum bars
- pear bars
For more specifics on how to create a fruit filling, check out the allergy-friendly fruit pies that I have listed below. All of the pie fillings can easily be used as a fruity filling for these crumble bars!
Serving & Storing
Personally, I love to have these peach bars for snack! Since I don’t have fruit with my meals (fruit doesn’t digest well when mixed with meat/protein), these peach bars are the perfect way for me to get my fruit in during the afternoon! When serving these gluten-free peach bars, you have a couple of options.
If you are opting for large bars, then cut the peach bars into 18 pieces. For smaller pieces, cut the peach bars into the classic 24 pieces. You can serve these amazing peach crumble bars plain all by themselves and they will be sure to please! Or, you can spruce things up and serve toppings with your peach bars!
Dairy-free coconut whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would both go nicely with peach bars! You can also serve them with additional chopped peaches or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Peach bars can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days when covered with an airtight lid. If your 9×13″ glass baking pan doesn’t have a lid, you will want to transfer the bars over to a container that can easily be covered and sealed. For more long term storage, keep the peach bars in the fridge. Stored in an airtight container, gluten-free peach bars will last 4-5 days in the fridge.
These peach bars can also be easily frozen for later! Simply layer them in a freezer container of your choice (put parchment paper bewteen each layer) and stick them in the freezer! Allow them to unthaw in the fridge before you enjoy them again.
Recipe Tips
These gluten-free peach bars are super easy to make! The longest part about making this recipe is preparing the peaches, which can be done quickly and efficiently using the boiling method! Here’s how to do it:
- Wash your peaches.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. There should be enough water to submerge 2-3 peaches.
- Prepare a large bowl full of ice cold water.
- Once the water is boiling, place 2-3 peaches in the water.
- Allow them to boil for 3-4 minutes. Once you see a split and some of the skin starts to peel, then you can move the peaches to the cold water bowl.
- Once the peaches are cool enough to handle, make a shallow slit in the skin. The skin should then easily peel right away from the flesh.
Using this simple method you can peel and dice your peaches in no time at all! The rest of the peach bar making process is simple since you just throw all the crumble ingredients right in the food processor! Here are a few quick tips for making the crumble:
- Make sure your butter is very cold! Leave it in the fridge until you are ready to add it to the food processor.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup for the sweetener.
- Arrowroot flour will work instead of tapioca flour for both the crumble and the filling.
- You can use maple sugar instead of coconut sugar in both the crumble and the filling.
These gluten-free peach bars are bursting with flavor! I love how the soft, sweet peach filling meshes perfectly with the oat-based crumble topping. It truly is the perfect pairing!
Gluten Free Peach Bars (nut free)
Ingredients
Crumb crust and topping
- 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oats
- 1/2 cup cassava flour
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup organic coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 3/4 cup organic, grass-fed butter cold
Peach filling
- 12 medium peaches, washed peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup organic coconut sugar
- 3 T. Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Butter a 9×13" pan and set it aside.
- Place your oats, cassava flour, tapioca flour, maple syrup, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and coconut sugar in a food processor. Pulse until combined.
- Cut up the cold butter into tablespoon size pieces. Place the butter pieces in the food processor and pulse until the mixture turns into a crumble.
- Spoon out enough crumble mixture to cover the bottom of the 9×13" pan (about 1/2 of the crumble mixture). Pat the crumble mixture into a crust in the 9×13" pan. Set the rest of the crumble mixture aside.
- Place the peaches and coconut sugar for the filling mixture into a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the peach mixture is simmering, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 8 minutes. Mash the peaches while they are simmering.
- After the peach mixture has simmered for 8 minutes, add the tapioca flour. Stir in the flour and simmer for 1-2 more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour the peach filling onto the crust in the 9×13" pan. Spread the remaining crumble evenly over the peach filling.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Store these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
- Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats
- Nutiva coconut sugar
- Native Forest canned peach slices
- Supplies: 9×13″ glass baking pan, Cuisinart food processor, large saucepan
These peach bars are so easy and fun to make, plus they are an allergy-friendly modern pioneer recipe! Combine delicious flavor with nutritious health benefits and you’re sure to have a recipe that will be a hit! These gluten-free peach bars can be used as a snack option, dessert idea, or even as a breakfast food. They are perfect way to use up fresh peaches when they are in season, plus you can easily freeze the bars for snacking on later!
I wouldn’t want you to miss any other recipes that I dish up at the modern pioneer chuckwagon, so make sure you join our weekly modern pioneer newsletter community! And don’t forget, give these gluten-free peach bars a try!
by Alexa
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