Peach cobbler is made with fresh, juicy peaches baked to perfection with a buttery biscuit topping. The combination of sweet peaches and cobbled crust creates a warm and comforting dessert that's perfect for any occasion.
Looking for a comforting summertime dessert? Make a peach cobbler. A dessert staple in the south, peach cobbler is made with peaches and cozy spices topped with a cobbled biscuit crust.
The juicy peach filling is sweet (but not too sweet!) with a hint of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The buttery biscuit topping is lightly sweetened and bakes up golden brown and tender in the oven.
Serve peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's great any time of year but makes the perfect comfort food dessert in the summer.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Peaches - This recipe can be prepared with fresh or frozen peaches. You'll need about 2.5 pounds of fresh peaches (this was about 7 medium peaches for me) or frozen peaches. If using frozen peaches, thaw them beforehand and blot them dry with a paper towel before preparing your filling. Canned peaches are not ideal because they're already cooked and will turn out soft and mushy if added to this recipe.
- Sugar - You'll need granulated sugar for the filling and biscuit topping. The filling could be made with brown sugar for a bit of caramel flavor if desired.
- Spices - Cinnamon and nutmeg add a hint of warmth to the peach filling.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of the filling and crust and balances with the sweetness.
- Lemon juice - Adds brightness, helps balance the sweetness, and acts as a preservative for the peach slices.
- Vanilla extract - Adds flavor to the fruit filling.
- Cornstarch - A small amount of cornstarch is added to thicken the fruit filling as the peaches bake and release their juices in the oven. Cornstarch could be substituted with all-purpose flour if needed.
- All-purpose flour - The base of the biscuit topping. I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, so I can't say whether other flours would work in this recipe. If you need to make a gluten-free variation, I highly recommend searching for a recipe that's developed for the ingredients you'd like to use.
- Milk - I recommend whole milk for a moist, tender biscuit topping.
- Butter - You'll need cold butter to prepare your biscuit topping. I like to grate mine on the large side of a box grater (like shown above) to incorporate it easily throughout the dough. I use this same method in my buttermilk biscuits recipe.
Tips and tricks
How to peel peaches easily - Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score the bottom of each peach with an "x". Drop peaches into boiling water for 1 minute, then remove and transfer to an ice bath until easy to handle. Skin will peel back easily.
Slicing peaches - Slice your peaches into even, ½ inch thick slices to ensure they bake evenly in the oven. Varying thick and thin slices can create mushy spots throughout your cobbler.
Use cold butter - Make sure your butter is very cold, straight from the refrigerator or freezer. Cold butter is important because you want those tiny pieces to remain solid throughout the dough rather than melting. Those cold butter pockets produce steam while baking, which creates a flaky, tender texture.
Grating butter - I recommend grating your butter on the large side of a box grater. The butter shreds incorporate easily into your flour mixture with very little effort.
Handle dough as little as possible - After the milk has been mixed into your dough, it will look shaggy and a little sticky. This is normal. The goal is to handle the dough as little as possible. Warm hands melt the butter in the dough, which we don't want. Overworking the gluten in the dough also makes your biscuit topping turn out tough.
Placing your cobbler topping - Drop dough across the top of your cobbler, leaving spaces for your peach filling to poke through. The goal is to create a rustic, "cobbled" appearance.
Storage
Peach cobbler is best served the same day, slightly warm from the oven, for best flavor and texture.
Leftover cobbler will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
Canned peaches are not ideal because they're already cooked and soft. Your filling will turn out very soft and mushy if using canned peaches. If fresh peaches are not in season, I recommend using frozen, thawed peaches instead.
Assemble your peach cobbler but before baking, transfer to the refrigerator. Your cobbler can be stored for a few hours before it needs to be baked. It needs to be baked fairly quickly because the baking powder in the dough will lose its "lift" the longer it sits. The peach filling could also be assembled up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, adding the cobbler topping the next day just before baking.
I recommend serving peach cobbler slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. However, it can also be served at room temperature.
If your filling is gummy, it may have been overcooked or you used canned peaches. If your cobbler topping is gummy, it may have been undercooked.
Peach filling can turn out runny if it's undercooked and the filling didn't have time to set in the oven, if cornstarch or flour wasn't added to the filling, or if too much liquid was added to the filling. If you're using frozen peaches, make sure to thaw them first and pat them off before preparing your filling. Frozen peaches can add excess liquid to the filling and cause it to turn out runny.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
Filling
- 2.5 pounds (1134 g) fresh peaches, about 7 medium peaches
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cold
- ¾ cup (170 g) whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.
- Peel peaches and cut into ½ inch slices. Add to a bowl with granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Toss until evenly coated.
- Pour into prepared casserole dish and spread into an even layer. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and remove clumps.
- Using the large side of a box grater, grate cold butter into the bowl and toss to coat. Add milk and stir until just combined. Dough will look shaggy and sticky.
- Drop dough by the spoonful across the top of the peach filling, leaving gaps for the filling to show through.
- Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned across the top and filling is bubbling in the center.
- Allow cobbler to cool slightly before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Serve fresh: Cobbler is best served the same day, warm from the oven, for best flavor and texture.
- Storage: Leftover cobbler will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator but gets soggy the longer it keeps.
- Frozen peaches: This recipe can be prepared with frozen peaches. Allow peaches to thaw and pat them dry before preparing the filling.
- Avoid canned peaches: They're already cooked and will turn out mushy when baked for this recipe.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!