Southern Peach Cobbler
In short: Juicy spiced peaches under a tender, golden biscuit-style topping, baked until the fruit bubbles. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. It takes about 1 h 20 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Peach cobbler is a summer staple in the South, where ripe peaches arrive by the crate. The fruit is tossed with sugar and warm spices, then topped with spoonfuls of soft biscuit dough that bake into a craggy, golden crust with a tender inside. This version bakes in a single dish and needs no rolling. Use ripe, fragrant peaches in season, or thawed frozen slices when they are not.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and butter a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) baking dish. To peel the peaches, score an X in the base, dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds, then slip off the skins.
- Toss the peaches with both sugars, the cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Spread them in the dish and dot with the butter.
- Bake the fruit alone for 15 minutes, until it just starts to bubble, while you make the topping.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs, then stir in the buttermilk until just combined into a soft, lumpy dough.
- Drop spoonfuls of the dough over the hot fruit, leaving gaps so the peaches show through. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, until the topping is deep golden and the juices bubble thickly around the edges.
- Cool for 15 minutes, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Tips
- Frozen peach slices work out of season. Thaw them, drain the extra liquid and raise the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons.
- Underripe peaches stay firm, so slice them thinner and give the fruit an extra 10 minutes in its first bake.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between a cobbler and a crisp?
A cobbler has a biscuit or batter topping, while a crisp or crumble is topped with a streusel of butter, flour, sugar and often oats.
Can I make peach cobbler ahead of time?
Bake it up to 1 day ahead and reheat at 175°C (350°F) for 15 minutes. You can also keep the fruit and the dry topping separate and assemble just before baking.
Do I need to peel the peaches for cobbler?
Peeling is optional but gives a smoother result, since the skins can curl and turn chewy in the oven. Ripe peaches peel easily after 30 seconds in boiling water.
How long does it take to make Southern Peach Cobbler?
About 1 h 20 min in total: 30 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Southern Peach Cobbler?
About 380 kcal per serving, with 4 g of protein, 60 g of carbohydrates and 14 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 380 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 60 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 38 g |
| Sodium | 270 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
