Easy Fresh Peach Cobbler is … easy. Fresh sliced summer peaches baked under a sweet easy biscuit topping. Top with some optional whipped cream (lovely with a hint of cardamom) or homemade vanilla ice cream. Yes, it's summer!
The making of Easy Peach Cobbler
Peaches are in season. YAY!
I love fresh summer peaches. So deliciously sweet.
I love to use peaches to make both sweet and savory dishes while they are abundant. Sweet like Fresh Peach Almond Torte, or Peach Blueberry Crumble. Savory with Fish Tacos with Peach Nectarine Salsa. A perfect summer evening dinner. Or savor the flavor throughout the winter by making some Fresh Peach Butter.
But I was looking for more ways to enjoy this fruit of summer, the peach.
While looking through my collection of cookbooks I found this recipe in Gourmet 1999.
Remember the 1990s? Many of you might not have even been born yet.
Ancient days!
Y2k ... when the calendar changed from 19XX to 20XX - look out our computers are all going to crash! Not.
But ancient or not a good solid recipe is a good solid recipe.
I mean seriously, you can go all gastro modern, but the classics will always remain.
And this recipe for Easy Fresh Peach Cobbler is so fresh and so easy, that it just had to make a comeback.
Ingredients List
For the filling:
- Peaches - Look for peaches without bruising. You want them ripe but not overly soft and ripe.
- Sugar - I start with ¼ cup and find it to be just enough. If your peaches are not super ripe you may want to add a bit more.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - Just a bit to add a little acidity.
- Cornstarch - Or tapioca, or even super fine flour. This is to help the juices thicken.
- Pumpkin Spice - If you don't have pumpkin spice, use a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. A ratio of 3 - 2 - 1 accordingly.
- A pinch of salt.
For the Topping
- All-Purpose Flour - You can use a gluten-free substitute as well.
- Sugar - if you choose to use another type of sweetener, it should be dry, not liquid.
- Baking Powder and Salt
- Unsalted butter - I always use unsalted as it's easy to add salt but harder to remove it. You want the butter cold and in small pieces.
- Boiling water
That's it. Easy ingredients that will be put together to make this easy Peach Cobbler dessert in less than an hour.
Including peeling the peaches.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Peel the peaches
What's the best way to peel peaches?
You can always peel a firm peach using a sharp paring knife, but that is slow tedious work. The best way to peel peaches is to drop them into a pot of hot water.
Bring a large pot of water to a simmer, prepare an ice bath and set it to the side.
Place the unpeeled peaches gently into the simmering water for about 30 seconds. Then remove to the ice bath to cool.
Allow the peaches to cool completely in the ice bath, the skins should remove very easily. You may need a paring knife to make a small slice, but I found I only needed my fingers.
Step 2: Slice the peaches.
Use a paring knife to cut the peaches off the pit into slices. The slices don't have to be perfect, just keep them all the same general size and thickness.
A word of CAUTION!
Peeled peaches can get very slippery. So do use caution when cutting them from the pit. Wipe or wash your hands and the knife as they get slippery to keep from slicing YOU instead of peaches.
Step 3 - Toss the peaches with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch (or other thickeners) pumpkin spice, and salt.
For ease, I just use my hands to mix it all together in the 8x8 square glass baking dish I use to bake the cobbler.
Step 4: Place the peaches in the center of a pre-heated 425ºF (218ºC) oven for 10 minutes.
While the peaches cook, prepare the topping
Using your food processor, mix the dry ingredient together using on/off pulses. Add the butter to the mix and, using on/off pulses mix until the butter is blended in and the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add the boiling water all at once, then blend, using long on/off pulses, until the topping comes together. Drop by spoonfuls onto the top of the cobbler.
Return the cobbler to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbly and the topping has browned.
FAQ's
I learned to add a bit of salt to all sweet recipes when I was at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen. We sat down and were given two servings of the same desserts, one of which had a pinch of salt, the other did not. We were not told what the difference was at the time just instructed to taste them both and then write down which we preferred, and why. We all preferred the one that had a pinch of salt. It tasted sweeter and more rounded than the other dessert. Since then I always add a pinch of salt.
It's easiest to make the topping while the peaches cook, but you could make it first. As long as it remains spoonable it's good to go.
You could use fresh nectarines, the hairless cousin of the peach. OR in a pinch, you could use frozen peaches. Let the frozen peaches thaw completely and pat them dry. You don't want them too wet - and you may need to adjust the amount of cornstarch or other thickener.
You can make this gluten-free by using gluten-free flour.
Yes. While a food processor makes the making of the crust a super easy task, you can make it by using your fingers (or a pasty cutter) to cut the butter into the dough, then mix in the boiling water by hand.
How to serve this recipe for Easy Fresh Peach Cobbler
The cobbler is best served warm, or just at room temperature. It is great by itself but is better with some fresh whipped cream with optional cardamon. Cardamon is a natural compliment to the peaches. Just add a quarter to a half teaspoon to the cream as it's being whipped.
Peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream (low-fat or regular) works, homemade or storebought.
Storage
If you have leftover cobbler, store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature, or give it 30 seconds in a microwave before serving.
Easy Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- For the Filling
- 4 cups sliced peeled and pitted fresh ripe peaches about 6 large
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice or you could use a combo of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg a 3 - 2 - 1 ratio
- A pinch of salt
- For the Biscuit Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons ¾ of a stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup boiling water
- Fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving, (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425°F (218C)Prepare the Peaches: Toss the peaches with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, spice, and salt in a 2-quart nonreactive baking dish (glass works really well here) and bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.
- Make the topping while the peaches cook: In the work bowl of your food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and pulse until just combined. (if you don't have a food processor, you can use your fingers or a pastry blender to mix in the butter and then add the water and stir to combine).
- Remove the peaches from the oven and drop spoonfuls of the topping over the top. Bake in the middle of the oven until the topping is golden, about 25 minutes (the topping will spread as it cooks). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Easily peel the peaches by dropping them into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove to an ice bath. Allow the peaches to cool then peel the skins.
Brian
Amazing fruit desert. Pair with a nice late harvest new world white wine or splurge and get a nice Sauterne!