Peach Oatmeal  Bars

Peach Filling:

6 peaches, peeled and diced

2 cups of diced peaches in syrup
1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of superfine sugar
2 tbl. of cornstarch

Place all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat.  Simmer for fifteen minutes.  Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight.

Remove filling from refrigerator to allow to warm up.  Toss a little with a fork to blend everything in again.

 

Nilla Wafer Crust:

 

1 box of Nilla wafer cookies

1 cup of melted butter

1/4 cup of superfine sugar

 

In  a food processor, put all of the above ingredients.  Pulse for about 20 seconds or until the wafers are well blended.

 

Assembly:

 

Preheat oven to 350F

 

In a rectangular aluminum baking pan with an edge over 1 inch, put two thirds of the crust mixture.  Press down with fingertips, creating a bottom crust.   Use a soup ladle to spoon the filling over the crust, leaving enough room for a top crust.

In your food processor, add 1/2 cup of steel cut Irish Oatmeal; 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. of ginger.  Pulse until you have a crumbly topping. 

 

Add the crumbly topping to the cookie pan, covering the top of the peach filling. 

Bake for about 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Allow these bars to cool significantly, even overnight if possible.

Frosting:

1 package of cream cheese

1 generous teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)
juice of a lemon
Confectioner's sugar

This is a real touchy feely recipe...start with the first three ingredients.  Slowly add sifted confectioner's sugar until you get the consistency you want.  Squeeze in a little bit of lemon.  If you don't have fresh lemon, please use really good lemon in a plastic container (Italy rules on this one).  You may or may not need to add more sugar and/or lemon until it tastes right.  Don't be shy on the vanilla...