How to make Homemade Peach Cobbler
Slice all your peaches. You should have about 9 cups of naked skin free peaches. Does anyone else feel super busy lately?? I don’t know if it’s just the end of school or what, but lately I feel like sun up to sun down I am running around like a crazy person. Maybe it’s just life with 4 kids. Apparently I don’t even have time to go to the bathroom anymore, I’m gonna have to start wearing depends. (And I thought I was almost done with the diaper years!!) Who else is ready for SUMMERTIME? Growing up, summer was a continually rotating schedule of fruit-picking. My parents have a huge yard with tons of fruit trees: apple, peach, cherry, citrus, blackberries, apricots, so much goodness. As much as I hated being out there in 100 degree heat picking fruit, who wouldn’t love the result? Fresh peach season was always my number one favorite. There is nothing more amazing then a warm, juicy, perfectly ripe peach plucked right off the tree and devoured over the sink, with juice dripping down to your elbows. Heaven. Possibly the only thing better is taking those peaches, tossing them in a pan and covering them with a sweet buttery cobbler topping. Who’s with me? There are a lot of different ways to make peach cobbler. Some recipes are basically like cake, with the peaches incorporated into the batter. But cobbler, to me, necessitates a super juicy bottom layer of sweetened fruit. This ain’t cake. (If you want cake, though, I happen to have an amazing Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting that you should definitely try out!) The topping for today’s cobbler is kind of like a mix between a cake mix and a deconstructed shortcake. I took my Strawberry Shortcake recipe and increased the sugar to make it sweeter. Instead of cutting in the butter, we are cutting in buttermilk and an egg, then scattering cut butter on top the cobbler to give it that crispy, melt in your mouth topping!
How many peaches in a pound?
Peaches can vary in size, but usually 3 to 4 peaches make a pound. If you have a kitchen scale you can weigh them to be sure! Dump them directly in the casserole dish, no need to grease the pan. Top with sugar and flour and spices. Sugar: The recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 cups sugar, but this amount is totally flexible! If you have underripe peaches, they will not be as sweet; add more like 1 and 3/4 cup or even up to 2 cups. If they are very ripe, consider adding only 1 and 1/4 cups. (If using canned peaches, use 1 cup sugar; see below.) Flour: The flour acts as a thickener. As the peaches release their juices when baking, they absorb into this flour and make a nice thickened sauce. Spices: Go easy on the cinnamon. Hear me out here. I know people just love to dump on the cinnamon when it comes to dessert, and if I am making Cinnamon Rolls then HECK YES I’m a cinnamon dumper. But I find that cinnamon can sometimes overwhelm the delicate peach flavor if you use too much. I like to use about 1/4 teaspoon for a 9×13 pan. Obviously this is personal preference! The other spice I love to add in is cardamom. Usually people add nutmeg. But I’m telling you, cardamom is SO good with peaches. Either one will be great! (Or you can omit entirely.)
How to peel peaches for Peach Cobbler
Before you can slice the peaches you must peel them. I saw some recipes out there that said there was no need to peel, “peach peels get nice and tender in the oven.” I don’t know who these sick people are, but they need some LESSONS. Peaches are one of summer’s greatest treasures but there is nothing that makes me feel weirder than those fuzzy little peels. Get outta here. Then in another bowl mix together some buttermilk and an egg. (You can use cheater buttermilk, see notes). Then use a pastry cutter to cut the liquid into the dough. I like using a pastry cutter to get that shaggy, choppy dough that makes for the perfect cobbler topping. If all you have is a spatula, use a chopping motion to incorporate the liquid, rather than a stirring motion. It’s okay if there are still dry bits of flour. Dump the shaggy dough mixture on top of the peaches. Then take a stick of butter, chop it up and sprinkle over the top. Adding the butter separately like this (rather than cutting it into the dough, as you would for biscuits or cake) gives the cobbler that perfectly crispy topping (rather than a soft, spongey texture.) It’s so good! Sprinkle the whole thing with sugar. I like to use a mix of granulated sugar and raw (demerara) sugar, for extra crunch. Then bake it up and that’s it! Then eat warm with vanilla ice cream if you know what’s good for you. If your peaches aren’t quite ripe: use a vegetable peeler. If your peaches are perfectly ripe: boil a pot of water, add the whole peaches for about 30-45 seconds, remove promptly. (No need to stop the cooking with an ice bath; we are about to bake them anyway.) Just a 30 second stint in the boiler and the peels will magically come right off using your fingers. This is called blanching. It’s quite satisfying actually!
How to cut a Peach
Once your peach skins are removed, your peaches are ready to cut. The easiest way to cut is NOT to slice all the way around the peach from top to bottom and up to the top again. Instead, I like to set the peach on the cutting board, hold it firmly on one side, and slice straight down so it creates a pit-free, flat-on-one-side slice. I rotate the peach a quarter turn and cut the same way again, then twice more. This leaves you with a “core” of sorts with the pit in it, which you can then slice the little piece from top and bottom. I do this for two reasons: first, it eliminates the need to scoop-slice out the red fringey bits that cling to the peach, and second, it creates all flat-on-one-side pieces which are much easier to get thin, uniform slices from. Whatever you do, don’t boil underripe peaches thinking the skin will magically come off. They won’t, and then you will have to destroy your hot peaches trying to use a peeler on them. No this didn’t happen to me, why do you ask?
Peach Cobbler Recipe Variations
More perfect summer fruit desserts!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie » one of my absolute FAVORITE pies of all time! Homemade Apple Pie » a classic, and the most popular pie on my site Fresh Blackberry Glacé Pie » I love this fresh, cold pie in hot weather The Easiest Mixed Berry Cobbler Recipe You’ll Ever Make » truly, you won’t believe just how easy it is! How to make Strawberry Shortcake » just like grandma made, it’s perfect for spring and summer Easy Homemade Cherry Pie Bars » like a pie, but in a way easier bar form Homemade Blueberry Pie Recipe » I didn’t think I liked blackberry pie til this one
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram But I was actually blown away by how much I enjoyed the canned version of this recipe. OF COURSE fresh ripe peaches are going to taste better, but really the canned version totally holds its own, and the good news is that you’re never going to have the fresh version sitting next to the canned version to see exactly what you’re missing out on. It will just taste like delicious sweet peach cobbler to your guests. And you just can’t beat it in terms of convenience. (What, you actually LIKE spending all your patience allotment for the day peeling fuzzy skin off of stone fruit??) The most important step is to drain the heck out of your peaches. You are going to need four 29 ounce cans; I drained them one at a time in my colander, stirring occasionally. Add them into your casserole dish and toss with only 1 cup sugar. We are using a little less sugar because canned peaches have been sitting in heavy syrup, so they are starting off way sweeter. Add in the flour and spices as called for in the recipe, and the rest of the recipe is exactly the same, even down to the bake times.
Can you freeze peach cobbler?
I wouldn’t recommend it. The topping will just get soggy. You can definitely freeze the peach filling layer though; prepare as directed with the flour and sugar and as many spices as you like, then ziplock and freeze! Thaw before baking.
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