peach pie bars.

So I had peaches to use up the other day. Aren't most decisions made this way?

This is the first time I'm trying a custard made with sour cream. I always thought it would be tangy but it's not! Speaking of the custard, I was supposed to fold the peach chunks into it before pouring it on top of the base but I, unwisely, decided to defy the recipe's instructions and layered the peaches onto the base before pouring the custard over instead.

No. Don't do that.

The custard is too thick to seep through the cracks so in the end, I had bars whose halves wouldn't hold together properly. Another problem I had with the bars was their base. The cookie base has too high a butter to flour ratio, in my opinion. Consequently, after it has been baked, there were a lot of air pockets  for the liquid from the peaches and custard to seep through. On day one after the bars have been baked, their bases were still fairly firm, although already having that undercooked look. Day two the bases were soft. Spongey soft. Eww.

Hence, I suggest using less butter in the dough. After all, all those extra calories doesn't guarantee you a better tasting bar right? I've adjusted the recipe below as such.

I still have so many things that I gotta use up quick. Whipping cream, a granny smith apple, tofu, cream cheese... You'll definitely be seeing desserts made with those ingredients soon!

Peach Pie Bars
adapted from here

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed

For the custard:
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
6 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/4 lbs peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 8x8 inch square pan with aluminum foil and grease. Make sure that enough foil extends from the pan to ensure easy removal later on.

For the crust, stir the flour, sugars and salt together. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for the topping later and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes.

To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the sugar, sour cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Gently fold in the chopped peaches and pour the mixture over the crust. Use a spatula to spread the custard evenly. Top with the reserved crumble and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the custard is set. Cool completely before slicing.