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Brown Butter Peach Shortbread Bars

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Brown butter peach shortbread bars are on a wooden cutting board next to house-shaped boxes with blue gingham ribbon that are filled with the peach boars.

I’m joining my friend Elizabeth of Pinecones & Acorns today to share a recipe for a summer bar…a cookie bar. How could I not make something with peaches? I’m a bit obsessed with peaches right now; soon the Peach Truck peaches will be finished for the season, and I’ll have to start getting creative with tomatoes, but for now, it’s peach everything!

What is in these peach shortbread bars?

  • Peaches
  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Cardamom
  • Egg
  • Salt
  • Baking powder
All the ingredients for making brown butter peach bars are measure and place in clear glass bowls.
Harden brown butter is being cubed with a sharp knife before it's added to the flour mixture.
Cubed brown butter on a cutting board next to two ripe peaches and a bowl of the flour mixture.
The crumbly shortbread dough is dumped into the baking pan and ready for pressing down to form the crust.
Some of the shortbread dough is saved in a bowl for sprinkling over the peaches.
Brown butter shortbread crust is in a baking pan next to halved and pitted peaches.
The shortbread crust is being lined with sliced peaches.
The sliced peaches are lined evenly on top of the shortbread crust before baking.
Some of the crumbly shortbread dough is sprinkled on top of the peaches along with some turbinado sugar.

The brown butter really adds something special to these bars. Often I am not sure if I can taste the brown butter, but in this recipe, it’s the first thing you notice. It gives it that nutty taste. These bars are pretty thin, with only the crust layer and one layer of thinly sliced peaches, plus more brown butter shortbread crumble on top. So what I am trying to say is that the ratio of fruit to cookie crust/topping is perfectly balanced.

Let’s package them up for gifting!

Small house-shaped boxes with blue gingham ribbon are used as containers to make a pretty package of peach shortbread bars.
Brown butter shortbread bars have been cut and are ready to be placed in the boxes for gifting.

My debut book is coming out next August (2027 — I know, it feels like forever!), and it’s all about gifts from the kitchen. Packaging up those treats is such a big part of the fun. I truly believe a cookie — or a bar — tastes even better wrapped up in something cute. These little house boxes might be the sweetest packaging I’ve ever used. Pardon the pun!

I cut pieces of parchment paper for the bottom and between each bar. I cut the bars to fit inside the box. Each one fit four bars perfectly. I added a bit of blue gingham ribbon and a tag.

Let’s check in with Elizabeth to see her summer bar recipe.

Pinecones & Acorns

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Brown Butter Peach Shortbread Bars

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4 from 1 review

Brown butter peach shortbread bars with a buttery cinnamon-cardamom crust and juicy peaches. An easy summer dessert recipe, perfect with vanilla ice cream.

  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, browned
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3 fresh peaches, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Continually stir the butter over medium-low heat while it’s browning. The butter will first foam, then turn clear, and gradually begin to turn a light brown. This should take approximately 12 to 15 minutes. The butter is done when small brown bits start to form on the bottom, it begins to smell nutty, and it has turned a light brown color. Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes. While it’s cooling, line a small dish with plastic wrap, pour in the cooled butter, and place it in the refrigerator to harden.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375º (190ºC), line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.
  3. In a medium bowl, add the sugar, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt, and whisk briefly to combine.
  4. Cube the hardened brown butter. Add the butter and the egg to the flour mixture. Using your finger, work the butter and the egg into the flour mixture until a crumbly dough has formed. 
  5. Remove approximately three-quarters of the crumbly dough and spread it evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing down and packing it into the bottom and sides. You can also use the bottom of a measuring cup or small glass to press the dough into the bottom and corners of the pan.
  6. Cut the peaches into 1/4-inch slices; in an even layer, line the sliced peaches over the top of the dough. Spread the remaining one-quarter of the crumbly dough over the peach slices. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top crumbs and the edges of the bottom crust have become golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before removing from the pan and cutting.
  7. Cut the bars and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They are also delicious just on their own. Store the leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also store them in the freezer between layers of parchment paper for up to a few months. 

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