Brown Butter Peach Pie Shortbread Bars

I thought your body wasn't supposed to start deteriorating until at least 30.  Apparently my body didn't get that memo.  So far 26 has been the year where I have to start dealing with wrinkles and phantom aches and general crabbiness.  (I wish I was joking, but I'm not.  Well, kinda joking about the crabbiness.)

This week I seem to have pulled a muscle in my back probably from pretending to be too realistic of a Velociraptor, so I have been scooting around the house like a hunchback and groaning a lot and using it as an excuse to not put on makeup or go running.  When a migraine joined my back in it's rebellion, I felt so sorry for myself I decided to make these bars.

I had been waiting months for fresh peaches to make them and they did not disappoint. These are really amazing. Especially warmed up with a big fat scoop of drippy vanilla bean ice cream on top.

Put them on your to-do list before summer is up.

And take "Playing carnivorous dinosaurs" off  of your list.

Brown Butter Peach Pie Shortbread Bars

Recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

-1 cup white sugar
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-3 cups flour, minus 2 tablespoons
-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup cold  butter, cut into chunks
-1 large egg
-4-5 medium peaches, pitted and thinly sliced

To brown your butter- Melt butter in a medium pan over med-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn golden and then start to turn brown. Stir frequently.  It can burn quickly once it starts to brown so keep your eye on it! If it still has foam on top but you have dark brown streaks when you stir, it is probably done- take it off the heat, let the foam die down, and check the color.  Once it is brown, pour it immediately into a bowl and freeze until solid.  (Usually takes about 30 minutes.)  It should have little brown specks in it and be a dark/golden brown but not black.  If it is black or bitter you have burnt it. (Do not use.)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Line  a 9×13 inch pan with foil and spray quickly with pam. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and spices. Use a pastry blender to blend the frozen brown butter and the egg into the flour mixture until crumbly.

Pat 3/4 of the crumbs into the bottom of your pan, pressing down firmly. Place peach slices over crumb base in a single layer. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes, or until top starts to brown. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.


Store in refrigerator. Serve warmed with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.