Gooey Snickerdoodle Peaches and Cream Bars *Vegan*

Goodbye summer...at least for all the kiddos that is. Time to go back to school and time for crappy traffic in the morning again. Seriously do parents not work in the summer or what? I don't understand how the traffic situation changes so drastically when school starts. I thought most schools were in their own little neighborhood/suburb, why are the highways jam packed? This is the age old question. Traffic aside not only am I going to miss the less crowded roads but I'm going to miss all the summer flavors. I love the fresh berries, bright citrus, love watermelon, and the peaches. I heart peaches. I've been craving a sweet gooey bar for weeks now and the other half just happened to bring home some peaches from the farmers market the other day. It was destiny...peaches and cream bars had to happen.

Gooey Snickerdoodle Peaches and Cream Bars *Vegan*

Ingredients:
3/4 cup maple sugar (I found this at Trader Joe’s but have also seen it at our regular grocery store. If you use regular granulated sugar use 1 cup measurement)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 fresh peach, sliced
1/4 cup pecans
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (Recipe below)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 baking pan with foil.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment cream together maple sugar, coconut oil, and maple syrup, then stir in the almond milk and vanilla.

3. Then add to the bowl the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined.

4. Reserve about a 1/2 cup (a good handful) of the dough and set aside, then press the rest of the dough into the foil lined baking tin.

5. Arrange sliced peaches all over the top of the dough, sprinkle the pecans over them, and then drizzle the sweetened condensed coconut milk all over the top, then crumble pieces of the reserved dough and dot the top of the bars with it.

6. In a small bowl or dish mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle that over the top of the bars.

7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The top will start to brown slightly. (Mine baked for 23 minutes)

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

Ingredients:
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Pour can in heavy sauce pan and stir in sugar. Turn burner onto medium until it starts to bubble around the sides, then turn down to med low.

2. Set the timer for 1 hour and stir frequently to avoid burning. I stirred about every 10 minutes or so. You want to it to be thicker and reduced by about half. Let cool completely.

You can do this ahead of time and store covered in the refrigerator.