While I am not a fan of canned, jarred, or frozen peaches, I do love fresh ripe peaches right off the tree. There is nothing better than biting into one, slurping as you go, but still the juice runs down your chin. Over the past couple of weeks, South Carolina and Georgia peaches are abundant. (did you know that South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia?) Local peaches are picked ripe so you can not let them sit too long. After eating a couple right out of the basket, it is then time for cobbler.
Biscuit? Crumble? Or Batter Cobbler?
Everybody has their own idea for what makes the best cobbler. Some prefer a biscuit topping, but I find that too doughy and the peaches can be overshadowed. As far as crumble toppings go, they are OK. But that is not a cobbler that is a crumble… moving on. Because I like “ooey-gooey” and I like caramelized sugar, I prefer using a batter to make my cobbler. And this one turned out perfectly.
One more thing. This recipe is chock full of butter and sugar and while one may choose to cut back, I say don’t. This is delicious. Just skip lunch or exercise more that day.
Southern-style Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
8 large ripe peaches (2 lbs once peeled, pitted and sliced)
4 tablespoons butter
½ cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, (optional)
½ cup milk
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Peel, pit and slice the peaches. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sliced peaches and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and syrupy.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar with the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the milk until combined.
The recipe does not make much batter. But that is a good thing, so the peaches remain the start of the show.
Add 8 tablespoons of butter to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and place it in the oven.
Visually divide the batter into 1/3 and 2/3 portions. Once the butter melts, spoon out the 2/3 portion into the melted butter. Use a clean spoon to spread out as much as possible, knowing that it will NOT fully cover the bottom of the pan.
Spoon the peach mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Using a clean spoon, dollop small bits of the reserved batter over the peaches, and spread around a bit with the back of the spoon.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown. Note: Halfway through the bake, I grab a handful of sugar and sprinkle it over the cooking batter only so that I can get some caramelized sugar on the top. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Download the Printable PDF Here: Southern Peach Cobbler
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Here are my other peach dessert recipes: Peach Galette and Peach Compote
That is all for now.
Cheers,
Rick