Brown Butter Peach Tart With Shortbread Crust Recipe

I created a Peach Tart Recipe featuring nutty brown butter in both the filling and the quick icing drizzle, a brown sugar cobbler crumb topping, and a crisp shortbread crust, using either fresh or frozen peaches.

I fell into this Brown Butter Peach Tart with Shortbread Crust while trying to rescue a bowl of imperfect peaches, and now I can’t stop making it. The shortbread crust is crisp and a little sandy, the peach filling gets tossed in brown butter so every bite has nutty depth, and a brown sugar cobbler crumb topping gives it that sweet crunch.

I call it my go to Peach Tart Recipe because it’s wildly forgiving, whether you use fresh peaches or frozen. It even reads like a Rustic Peach Tart from a bakery window, but somehow better, messy and honest.

Ingredients

• Peaches: Juicy sweet high in fiber and vitamin C, brighten tart with fresh flavor
• Browned butter: Gives nutty rich taste, adds fat so crust and filling feel luxurious
• All purpose flour: Gives structure mostly carbs not much protein, makes crust hold together
• Brown sugar: Adds caramel sweetness and moisture, mostly simple carbs so very sweet
• Cornstarch: Thickens peach filling, it’s pure starch so adds carbs not fiber
• Rolled oats: Optional, add chew and whole grain fiber, makes topping more satisfying
• Egg yolk: Helps bind crust, adds fat and a bit of protein, richer texture
• Lemon juice: Bright acidic pop balances sweetness and gives a little vitamin C
• Vanilla extract: Lifts and rounds flavors, not sweet itself but makes everything pop

Ingredient Quantities

• Shortbread crust
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (about 150 g)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed (1 stick about 113 g)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Peach filling
  • 4 to 5 large ripe peaches about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds peeled and sliced or 4 cups frozen peaches thawed and drained
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons browned butter for tossing with the peaches
  • pinch fine salt

• Brown sugar cobbler crumb topping
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour (about 95 g)
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed (about 85 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch fine salt
  • 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats optional for texture

• Brown butter icing
  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted (about 120 g)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons browned butter warm
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons milk or heavy cream to thin
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch fine salt

How to Make this

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and grease or line a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom, set aside.

2. Make the shortbread crust: whisk 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cut in 1/2 cup cold cubed butter until mixture looks like coarse sand with some pea sized bits, stir in 1 large egg yolk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until it just comes together, press evenly into the tart pan and chill 10 to 15 minutes so it firms up a bit.

3. Blind bake the crust: prick the bottom with a fork, line with parchment and pie weights or dried beans, bake 12 to 15 minutes until edges set, remove weights and parchment and bake another 4 to 6 minutes until lightly golden, let cool a bit while you prepare the filling.

4. Brown butter for filling and icing: melt about 5 tablespoons unsalted butter in a light colored skillet over medium heat, swirl until foam subsides and you see little brown specks and a nutty smell (watch close it burns fast), remove from heat and split it up — reserve about 2 tablespoons warm for the peaches and the rest for the icing.

5. Toss the peaches: in a bowl combine 4 to 5 sliced ripe peaches (or 4 cups thawed drained frozen), 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt, add the 2 tablespoons browned butter and toss gently to coat, let sit 5 minutes so juices start to mingle.

6. Make the brown sugar cobbler crumb: mix 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt, stir in 1/3 cup old fashioned oats if using, cut in 6 tablespoons cold cubed butter with a fork or pastry cutter until you have coarse crumbs.

7. Assemble the tart: pour the peach mixture into the pre-baked shortbread crust, spread evenly and sprinkle the cobbler crumbs over the top pressing lightly so they stick.

8. Bake the tart: return to oven at 375 F and bake 30 to 40 minutes until the topping is golden and peach juices bubble through; if crumbs brown too fast tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

9. Cool and make the brown butter icing: cool the tart on a rack at least 45 minutes to set, whisk 1 cup sifted powdered sugar with the remaining warm browned butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt, add 1 to 2 teaspoons milk or cream at a time until you reach a drizzle consistency, taste and adjust.

10. Finish and serve: drizzle the brown butter icing over the cooled tart, slice and serve warm or room temp with vanilla ice cream if you want, store leftovers covered in fridge for up to 3 days.

Equipment Needed

1. 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, greased or lined
2. Mixing bowls, one large for the peaches and a medium for crust/topping
3. Measuring cups and spoons (kitchen scale optional if you like grams)
4. Light-colored skillet for browning butter (watch it, it browns fast)
5. Pastry cutter or fork to cut in butter, plus a fork to prick the crust
6. Parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans for blind baking
7. Baking sheet (to catch drips) and a cooling rack
8. Small whisk and rubber spatula for the icing and spreading crumbs

FAQ

Brown Butter Peach Tart With Shortbread Crust Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Unsalted butter (shortbread crust and browned butter)
  • Cold vegetable shortening, 1:1, makes a crumblier crust but you lose some butter flavor, chill dough well.
  • Solid coconut oil, 1:1, works if you like a hint of coconut and keeps dough firm when cold.
  • Ghee, 1:1, gives rich nutty flavor like brown butter but has less water so texture might be a tad more tender.
• All purpose flour (crust or crumb topping)
  • Pastry flour, 1:1 by weight, makes a softer, more tender crust.
  • Whole wheat pastry flour, 1:1 by weight, adds nuttiness and chew, may need a splash more butter or a tiny bit less flour.
  • Gluten free cup for cup blend, 1:1 by weight, for GF baking, expect a slightly different crumb and chill the dough before baking.
• Peaches (fresh or frozen filling)
  • Nectarines, same amount, almost identical texture and sweetness so swap straight across.
  • Apricots or plums, about equal volume, they’re tarter so cut back on sugar a little to taste.
  • Peeled canned peaches, drained and patted dry, use less added sugar and reduce thickener a touch because they’re softer.
• Cornstarch (thickener for filling)
  • Arrowroot powder, 1:1, gives a clear glossy finish and works great with fruit.
  • Tapioca starch, 1:1, nice chew and shine, especially good with frozen fruit.
  • All purpose flour, use about double the volume (for 2 Tbsp cornstarch use ~4 Tbsp flour), thicker and less clear, cook a bit longer to get rid of raw flour taste.

Pro Tips

1) Chill the crust and dont skip that step. Cold butter and a quick chill before blind baking hugely cut down on shrinking and give you a flakier, crumblier shortbread. If the dough warms up while you’re pressing it, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes before baking.

2) When browning butter use a light colored pan and watch it like a hawk, it goes from perfect to burned in seconds. Take it off the heat as soon as it smells nutty and you see small brown specks, then pour it into a cool bowl so the residual heat stops the browning. Also split the butter right away so you dont accidentally heat it all and then have none left for the icing.

3) If you use frozen peaches thaw them completely and really press or drain out the extra liquid, otherwise the filling will be runny. For fresh peaches toss them with the sugar and cornstarch and let them sit a few minutes so the cornstarch hydrates and the juices start to mingle, that helps the filling thicken and taste sweeter.

4) Keep the crumb topping butter cold and work it until you have coarse crumbs, not paste. If you want extra texture toast the oats a bit beforehand or sprinkle a little raw sugar on top mid-bake for crunch. If the crumbs are browning too fast tent the tart loosely with foil for the last part of baking.

5) Let the tart cool long enough to set, at least 30 to 45 minutes, then warm your knife under hot water and wipe it between cuts for neat slices. For the icing dont add very hot butter to the powdered sugar or it will thin too much, warm is fine but add milk a teaspoon at a time till you get a drizzle you like.