Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. It’s important to allow your oven to heat up fully so that your bars bake evenly. While it preheats, spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside.
For the filling, grab a large bowl and place the diced peaches and raspberries inside. Add in the lemon juice, vanilla extract, and honey. Gently stir the mixture to combine, being careful not to mash the fruit too much. You want to keep those lovely chunks of peaches intact!
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon for the filling. This mixture will help to absorb the juices from the peaches and raspberries. Pour this dry mixture over the fruit and gently stir until the fruit is evenly coated. Set this aside for a moment.
Now, let’s prepare the crumbly dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. The aroma of these dry ingredients is already so inviting! Next, cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some pea-sized chunks of butter remaining. This will create that lovely crumbly topping.
In a small bowl, mix the vanilla and egg together. Add this mixture to your flour and butter mixture, stirring until just combined. The dough will be crumbly, but that’s exactly what you want! Pat half of this mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking pan, creating an even layer.
Spread the prepared peach and raspberry mixture evenly over the crust. Don’t forget to scoop up all that lovely juice! Crumble the remaining dough over the fruit layer, ensuring it’s evenly distributed. If you like, sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top for extra sweetness and crunch.
Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Keep an eye on your bars; they should turn a beautiful golden brown and the fruit should start bubbling a little on the sides. The aroma wafting through your kitchen will be irresistible!
Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. This step is important as it allows the bars to set up properly. Once cool, cut them into squares and serve. I love serving these bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly indulgent experience!
