This peach tart with shortbread crust is made with brown butter in the peach tart filling and the icing! Or you can make it a canned peach tart recipe with canned peaches! And if you're a fan of this easy peach tart recipe, you'll also love my Passionfruit Tart, my Heirloom Tomato Galette with Herbs, and my Cherry Crumb Pie!
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Peach Tart with Shortbread Crust
I love peach season! It's the perfect time to enjoy your favorite fresh peach desserts, from pies to cobblers to ice cream. There are so many options, but you can't go wrong with this brown butter peach tart! It's an easy and delicious way to use fresh peaches, or frozen or canned peaches all year round!
But the best part about this peach tart is right there in the name: the richness of brown butter is in the filling and in the icing drizzled on top! Plus, the crust and shortbread topping are made with dark brown sugar and the peaches are simmered in brown sugar to really bring out that rich, caramely flavor throughout. It's a truly showstopping dessert, and much easier to make than you'd think!
What is fruit tart filling made of?
We're making a spiced peach tart filling with peaches, cinnamon, lemon juice, cornstarch, and (of course) brown butter! I typically use frozen peaches, but you can also use fresh peaches or even canned (see below. The ease of frozen peaches is very appealing to me, but if you've recently done a farmer's market haul you should definitely use all those ripe, juicy peaches you have on hand!
Canned Peach Tart
If you're wondering if you can make this brown butter peach tart recipe with canned peaches, you're in luck! You can -- you'll just need to reduce the amount of sugar in the peach tart filling to ¼ cup, to keep it from being too sweet. I also recommend using peaches that are canned in 100% juice, not syrup. Otherwise, you're good to go!
Are peaches sweet or tart?
Unripe peaches are more likely to be tart. As peaches ripen, they get sweeter and softer, so you'll definitely want to use ripe peaches for this recipe. You can also make this tart with white peaches, which are naturally less acidic than yellow peaches.
Peach Tart Recipe Ingredients
This layered tart is packed with flavor and rich textures. Here's what you'll need to make it:
For the crust and crumb topping:
- all-purpose flour - forms the base for our shortbread crust and topping.
- dark brown sugar - adds a deeply rich sweetness, and helps the crust to come together.
- baking powder - lets the crust and topping have a bit of lightness.
- cold salted butter - it's important that the butter be cold to achieve that crumbly shortbread texture! Feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer-- just add a couple pinches of salt to balance out the sweetness.
For the brown butter peach filling:
- peaches - you can use fresh or frozen peaches, but if you use frozen, make sure they are thawed and drained. I would suggest cutting your peaches into small chunks to fit well in the shallow tart pan and make the tart easier to slice.
- lemon juice - helps to bring out the tartness in the peaches.
- cinnamon - a perfect spice to complement that peach flavor.
- cornstarch - helps to thicken the peach filling.
- brown butter - makes everything better!
For the brown butter icing:
- brown butter - totally transforms this basic vanilla icing to something irresistible!
- powdered sugar - provides the sweetness and texture of the icing.
- whole milk - helps to thin out the icing to make it pourable.
- pure vanilla extract - perfect flavor for this easy icing!
Equipment needed
One crucial piece of equipment whenever you're making a tart is a tart pan. Go figure, huh?! I like this one that I got on Amazon because it's nonstick, has a removable bottom that makes this tart SO easy to slice and serve, and its fluted edge gives the tart a beautiful look. But you can definitely use a pie pan, a springform pan, or another type of tart pan!
Besides the tart pan, for this brown butter peach tart you will also need a few standard baking tools: a whisk, a pastry cutter, and a measuring cups and spoons. I would also recommend a food scale to help get accurate measurements for flour, powdered, sugar, and other dry ingredients, as well as measuring your peaches.
If you have everything gathered together, you're ready to make this delicious brown butter peach tart! Let's get baking!
Step by Step
- First, make your crust and crumb topping by whisking together your flour, brown sugar, and baking powder and then cutting in your cold butter with either a pastry cutter or your hands.
- When the mixture is combined and looks like pea-sized crumbs, take out ½ cup of it and chill that portion in the refrigerator.
- Press the rest of your crust into your 9-inch tart pan and blind bake the crust for 12-15 minutes.
- While it's baking, brown your salted butter, remove it to a heatproof container, and let it cool just a bit.
- Then, stir together your filling ingredients and simmer in a saucepan for about 5-10 minutes until peaches are tender and filling is slightly thickened.
- Pour your filling evenly into the blind baked crust, top with remaining shortbread crumbs, and bake!
Tips and F.A.Q.
You can store this tart at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Is tart a cold or hot dessert?
I recommend eating this tart warm with some ice cream! But it's great warm or room temperature. If you're looking for a cold peach dessert, try my Peach Sorbet!
It's up to you! I personally prefer the texture of peeled peaches in baked goods, and I often use frozen peaches so they're already peeled for me!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
More Peachy Recipes to Try
More Peachy Recipes You'll Love
If you love handheld treats, you'll love my Peach Cobbler Egg Rolls, my Peach Turnovers with Smoked Sugar, and my Peach Mango Pie!
Or for some more decadent, show-stopping recipes, you'll want to check out my Stone Fruit Salad with Goat Cheese and Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette, my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake, and my Peach Cherry Galette!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
- pastry cutter
- 9-inch tart pan
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust and Crumb Topping
- 1⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour - (171g)
- ½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar - (100g)
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder - (2g)
- 10 tablespoon (140 g) salted butter, cold - (142g)
Brown Butter Peach Filling
- 1 lb (454 g) peaches - cut into chunks (thawed if frozen), about 3 cups (see note below for canned peaches)
- ⅓ cup (73 g) dark brown sugar - (68g)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon (4 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) brown butter - See my Browned Butter 101 post for step-by-step instructions!
- pinch salt
Brown Butter Icing
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) brown butter - See my Browned Butter 101 post for step-by-step instructions!
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar - sifted (115g)
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) whole milk - plus more if needed
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Shortbread Crust/Crumb Topping
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and brown sugar.1⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup dark brown sugar
- Add cubed butter and work in with hands or a pastry cutter until mixture forms pea-sized clumps and sticks together when pressed. Remove ½ cup of mixture and set aside.10 tablespoon salted butter, cold
- Press remaining crust dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes.
Prepare Brown Butter Peach Filling
- Brown 4 tablespoon of salted butter in a light-colored sauce pan and transfer to a heatproof container (see note). Remove 2 tablespoons of the browned butter and set aside for the icing later.2 tablespoon brown butter, 1 tablespoon brown butter
- In a large bowl, toss peaches with cinnamon, brown sugar, cornstarch, remaining brown butter, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.1 lb peaches, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon brown butter, pinch salt
- Transfer to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer on stovetop over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until filling has thickened slightly. Stir in vanilla extract.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pour peach filling into baked crust and spread to even.
- Sprinkle reserved crumbles of crust mixture on top of peach filling to create the crumb topping.
- Bake in preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crumb topping is a deep golden brown. Cool completely.
Whip Up Brown Butter Icing
- Whisk together reserved 2 tablespoons of brown butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. If desired, add a bit more milk to thin consistency.2 tablespoon brown butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon whole milk, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Drizzle icing over cooled tart and serve!
Video
Notes
- You can prepare the filling and crust dough ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze, well wrapped, until ready. Just let them thaw in the fridge before assembly and adjust cook time to accommodate the colder ingredients.
- You can also prepare and bake the whole tart, allow it to cool completely and then drizzle with icing. Then let it solidify uncovered in the freezer, and then wrap it well and freeze for up to 4 months. Let thaw, covered in the refrigerator, for 24 hours.
Nutrition
PIN this brown butter peach tart recipe for later!
Last Updated on September 8, 2023 by Chenée Lewis
Nancy I
This was so delicious especially with the brown butter icing! I had some leftover icing so I made donuts and made more icing with the leftover 1 tbsp of browned butter, thinned it down with a bit of milk and glazed the donuts! OMG, my favourite go-to icing from now on! Thank you for this recipe!
Chenée Lewis
Those donuts sound amazing! Glad you liked the recipe!
Aj
Do you recommend draining the canned peaches?
Chenée Lewis
yes i do! And I would recommend chopping them into smaller chunks. 🙂
Mika
Perfection. The subtle taste of the browned butter makes the whole dish. Easy to make and certainly liked by all.
Chenée Lewis
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for your feedback!
Patty Tobin
This is a super delicious tart. I made it a few times this summer. Wanting to try it with an apple/pear combination. Do you think this would work?
Chenée Lewis
That sounds delicious! I'm sure it would work!
Mila
The simplicity really had me excited here. I LOVE tarts, and this is probably one of the best I've had!
Chenée Lewis
You're welcome! I love tarts too, and the simpler the better!
Tiffany L.
Made this to use up some fabulous summer peaches and it was incredible! The brown butter made all the difference
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad you liked them!!! Thanks for giving them a try.
Krysten
I've been looking for a peach recipe that wasn't cobbler and came across this, it's perfect! So delicious!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! It's a really unique way to use those in-season peaches!
Tamara
I love how simple yet delicious this recipe was! It was such a great addition to our Sunday brunch this past week. Thank you for the recipe.
Chenée Lewis
You're welcome! I'm glad it worked well for your brunch!
Jazz
This was perfect with fresh peaches. I'll be making it again and will try it with frozen too as the seasons change.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! Yes I love that this recipe works all year round!
Marta
I made a trip to the grocery store to get peaches just to make this peach tart and I was NOT disappointed. That brown butter does something magical to the dessert that can't be described.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks for trying it out! I love brown butter in everything, but with peaches it's especially amazing!
Katrina
This brown butter peach tart was amazing!! The shortbread crust and icing was my favorite part!!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks!! That's my favorite part too 🙂
Capri Lilly
1. I am obsessed with peaches. 2. Your pictures just blew me away! So I had to make this dessert! Thanks to your video it was super easy to make and SOOO delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that the video was helpful!!
Kemion
This looks so good and the video tutorial is spot on. Do you think it will work with gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour?
Chenée Lewis
Yeah, that should work! Let me know your results 🙂
Desirée
Omg. GIRL. This recipe is going to have me in trouble!I can't believe how EASY this was to make. And the flavor? Whewwww! Idk whether I should be mad at myself for trying this out or if I should be thanking you! LOL
Chenée Lewis
Haha you're welcome and I'm sorry!! Lol thanks for trying it out!
Renia
This is possibly one of the best peach recipes I've tried. So easy and delicious.
Chenée Lewis
It's one of my favorites too!! I'm glad you liked it!