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There’s no better way to showcase the flavor of fresh summer peaches than in a homemade cobbler. Our recipe pairs the natural sweetness of the peaches with an easy-to-make, buttery biscuit dough topping, so whether you need a dessert for a family gathering, or just want to enjoy it yourself with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this peach cobbler is a must-try summer treat.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
What we love most about simple fruit desserts like this peach cobbler is the customizable sweetness. With ripe, naturally sweet peaches, you can cut back or even omit added sugar, ensuring the dessert turns out perfectly. Whether you enjoy desserts that are just mildly sweet or prefer a richer flavor, you can easily adjust the sugar to suit your taste.
Key Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the essential ingredients for this recipe, along with shopping tips, and possible substitutions. The complete ingredient list is in the recipe card below.
- FRESH PEACHES: Look for blemish-free peaches with a deep, rich color, which is a good indicator of ripeness and flavor. Avoid peaches with green undertones, as they may have been picked too early and may not ripen properly. Check for firmness. A ripe peach should give slightly to pressure, but not be too soft or mushy. If your peaches are too firm, let them ripen at room temperature. Check them often, refrigerate them as soon as they are ripe, and use them within a day or two.
- LEMON JUICE: A tablespoon of lemon juice tossed with the peaches helps to preserve their vibrant color and prevent oxidation (browning).
- SUGAR: We use regular granulated sugar for our peach cobbler. Our recipe calls for about a tablespoon sprinkled over the peaches to enhance their sweetness, but if you like more, you can increase that quantity. You do want to follow the recipe for the quantity of sugar in the biscuit dough topping though.
- FLOUR: We use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- BUTTER: In addition to enhancing texture and browning, butter adds rich, creamy flavor to the cobbler topping. We recommend using unsalted butter if you can.
- WHOLE MILK: Using whole milk instead of low-fat or fat-free milk in the cobbler topping enhances flavor, texture, moisture, and browning.
- LEAVENERS: The combination of baking soda and baking powder in our biscuit dough topping allows for a light, airy texture and helps achieve the perfect golden-brown crust on the cobbler.
How to Make Peach Cobbler With Fresh Peaches
Here’s a basic overview of how this dish is prepared. For detailed, step-by-step instructions and a complete ingredient list, please refer to the printable recipe card below.
PREPARE THE PEACHES: Preheat the oven and butter a baking dish. Peel and pit the peaches (tips below) and slice them into thin wedges. Toss with sugar and lemon juice and arrange them in an even layer in the baking dish. Set aside while you prepare the biscuit topping.
MAKE THE BISCUIT TOPPING: Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly. Add cubes of chilled butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until the lumps have disappeared and the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Gradually stir in the milk and combine to make a soft dough.
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE COBBLER: Spoon the dough over the peaches and sprinkle with decorating sugar if desired. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the peaches are tender and the dough is golden brown. Let the cobbler cool some before serving plain or topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Tips For Success: How To Peel Fresh Peaches
Peeling the fresh peaches is the biggest chore when it comes to making peach cobbler. The traditional method is to score the skin with a paring knife, plunge the peaches into boiling water for 60 seconds, and transfer them to an ice bath to cool before slipping the skins off.
This is an excellent method for peeling larger quantities of peaches, but in my opinion, it’s more trouble than it’s worth for a recipe like this one. Provided your peaches aren’t too soft, a sharp vegetable peeler gets the job done quickly and with minimal fuss.
Removing the pits from peaches is easy too. Just cut the peach lengthwise all around the pit, grip both halves, and twist gently. The peach should separate into two pieces and you can easily pluck or cut out the pit.
Discover More Peach Recipes
Homemade cobbler is only one way to take advantage of fresh summer peaches. They make a delicious barbecue sauce for grilled pork tenderloin, take the place of plums in an incredibly easy galette recipe, or get muddled into a refreshing summer peach cocktail with whiskey, lemon-lime soda, and mint.
Cobblers, Crisps, Crumbles & Bettys: What’s the Difference?
All four of these popular baked desserts are made with lightly sweetened and/or spiced fresh fruit. The differences are in the toppings.
COBBLERS like this one can be made with any type of fresh fruit (usually peaches, apples, or blueberries) covered with a layer of dropped biscuit dough.
CRISPS are comprised of fresh fruit topped with a crispy, streusel-like topping made with cereal or rolled oats, sometimes combined with chopped nuts. Our Easy Blueberry Crisp, with its cornflake topping, is a good example.
CRUMBLES are frequently made with blueberries, cherries, or apples and have a soft streusel topping made with butter, flour, sugar, and spices.
BETTYS differ from cobblers, crumbles, and crisps as they feature alternating layers of fresh fruit and sweetened, buttered bread crumbs. Our Apple Brown Betty is one of our all-time favorite desserts and super easy to make.
Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 lbs fresh peaches, about 7 or 8 medium
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the biscuit dough:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon coarse decorating sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish.
Prepare the peaches:
- Peel and pit the peaches (see notes below) and slice them into thin wedges. Toss with the sugar and lemon juice and arrange them in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Set aside while you prepare the biscuit topping.
Make the biscuit topping:
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly.
- Add the chilled butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until the lumps have disappeared and the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Gradually stir in the milk and combine to make a soft dough.
Assemble and bake the peach cobbler:
- Spoon the dough over the peaches and sprinkle with decorating sugar if desired. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the peaches are tender and the dough is golden brown.
- Let the cobbler cool for 20 minutes before serving plain or with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
How To Peel Fresh Peaches
The traditional way to peel peaches is to score the skin with a paring knife, plunge them into boiling water for 60 seconds, then transfer them to an ice bath to cool before slipping the skins off. This is an excellent method for peeling larger quantities of peaches, but in my opinion, it’s more trouble than it’s worth for a recipe like this one. Provided your peaches aren’t too soft, a sharp vegetable peeler gets the job done quickly and with minimal fuss. Removing the pits from peaches is easy too. Just cut the peach lengthwise all around the pit, grip both halves, and twist gently. The peach should separate into two pieces and you can easily pluck or cut out the pit.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this cobbler the other day and served it with peach ice cream. It was easy and delicious. I think a little vanilla in the biscuit dough would be nice.