This easy peach cobbler is sweet, jammy, and just a bit caramelized with a perfectly tender-crisp topping making it the BEST comfort food dessert, like, ever.
The BEST Peach Cobbler Recipe
I took one bite of this homemade peach cobbler and melted. My eyes closed and my shoulders dropped just a bit as I exhaled a loud “mmmm” that literally escaped my lips. I.was.sold. It was one of those bites that was like a warm hug where whatever happened during the day that didn’t go quite right, POOF! just didn’t even matter.
God save the peach cobbler.
This peach cobbler recipe is totally delicious and absolutely addictive. My husband claims he could eat it ’til he’s sick, and I might be right there with him. It’s crispy. It’s gooey. It’s perfectly sweet and caramelized in the middle with a magically tender crunch on top.
It tastes amazing warm with melty vanilla ice cream pooling its edges, at room temp spooned straight out of the pan, or eaten as a stolen bite while nobody’s looking with the fridge door swung wide open—to that I can attest.
This cobbler is another amazing recipe from my mom and dad’s neighbor Mrs. Richardson, who you may remember as the originator of my fave shrimp macaroni pasta salad. Mrs. Richardson knows my dad has a sweet tooth, and that’s why each year as Utah’s sweetest peaches come on, this cobbler is hand-delivered to my parents door.
Forget Mr. Rogers. You want Mrs. Richardson as your neighbor!
Mrs. Richardson was nice enough to share the recipe with me, and with one simple tweak to her original, I’m sharing it with you. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll make it and share it with a neighbor to make their day, too.
The Difference Between Cobbler and a Crisp
Both cobblers and crisps are a great intro to baking and an easy way to serve baked fruit for dessert. There’s hardly any skill needed to make them and their rustic appearance is just part of their charm. Typically baked casserole-style in a large baking dish, both are an easy way to serve a crowd, although they’re so flexible they can be made into individual portions too.
So what’s the difference between a cobbler, crips or crumble?
Cobblers are topped with a thick batter or dough that spreads and crisps as it bakes, creating a cake-like texture that holds the dessert together.
Crisps and crumbles are usually an oat, butter, nuts, and spice mixture that serves as a crisped topping for the fruit below, similar to another German fave, streudel.
What Is In Peach Cobbler
Any fruit will do in a cobbler or crisp, with plums, apples, and berries as popular choices to create the bottom layer of this easy dessert.
But today we are going peaches all the way.
We’re also going full-on homemade because there’s really no need for shortcuts like using a baking mix ala Bisquick in this peach cobbler dessert.
All you need for peach cobbler is:
- Peaches. I use fresh in my recipe but scroll below for how to use frozen or canned peaches instead. Choose firm fruit so the cobbler doesn’t become watery as it cooks, saving the extra ripe, drippy peaches for eating over the sink as a snack.
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Melted butter. Place in a dish and microwave for a quick 30 seconds. Stir to melt any of the unmelted butter so it doesn’t get too hot, and cook the egg when combined.
- Egg
- Baking powder
- Salt
How to Peel Peaches for Cobblers, Crisps, and Pies
Peeling peaches for cobbler isn’t essential, and I’ve made it with and without doing so, but I do it because Mrs. Richardson says so. And it’s really easy to do.
To peel peaches the easy way, bring a pot of water to boil. Gently drop the peaches (3-4 at a time) into the water and boil for 30 to 45 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot and cool just enough so you can handle them.
Once the peaches are cool enough to handle, gently scrub the peel from the fruit, or use a paring knife to peel the skin away.
If the skin doesn’t come away easily, plop the peaches back into the boiling water for another 15-30 seconds.
I usually cut my peaches in half first, then begin the peeling process so the peaches aren’t slippery sliding about, in and out of my hands.
How to Make Peach Cobbler
The only tweak I made to Mrs. Richardson’s recipe is giving the peaches a caramelized head start in the oven before adding the doughy topping. I added the peaches to the butter-greased pan, then tossed them with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
A quick 15 minutes in a 375°F oven is all they need for the brown sugar and natural pectins from the peaches to form a quick caramelization.
The Cobbler Dough
Some cobbler toppings are more in the style of a biscuit batter, but this one is more of the cookie variety—thick and doughy—and it is good. As my mom would say, stay out of it so there’s enough left for the recipe :).
You don’t even need a beater for mixing this dough. A simple fork or whisk will do.
Drop the dough onto the top of the baked peaches and gently spread it a bit if you like. The dough will spread as it melts into the peaches so you certainly don’t have to be precise.
Rustic Can Still Be Pretty
People are enticed with knowing what they’re digging into so I pluck out a few of the peaches and top the raw cobbler dough before putting it back into the oven to bake.
The result is a dessert that’s ready to be served right at the table or straight from the oven— if you can resist it that long.
Serve the peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream. However, this dessert is so good all on it’s own you really don’t need to doctor up a thing.
Types of Peaches to Use In Peach Cobbler
I used fresh, height of season peaches in this cobbler but because you’ll be craving this recipe all year long, use frozen peaches or canned peaches instead.
Use equal amounts frozen or canned peaches instead fresh peaches in this cobbler. Substitute frozen peaches that are thawed and drained, or high-quality, canned peaches that are well drained.
More Baked Fruit Dessert Ideas to Make Now
- Blueberry Buckle Recipe With Lemon Glaze
- Raspberry Peach Hand Pies
- The Berry Best Four Berry Pie Recipe
- Apple & Blueberry Crumble
- Caramel Apple Pie
- Apple Blondies With Cinnamon Almond Streusel
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark it then leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
The BEST Peach Cobbler
For the very best flavor, use fresh seasonal peaches that are ripe but still firm. Or, substitute the same amount of frozen peaches that have been thawed and drained, or well-drained canned peaches instead.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh peaches
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter , plus 1 tablespoon butter for preparing the pan
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9 X 13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon of soft butter spread to coat the insides of the dish.
First, prepare the peaches. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a few of the peaches to the water (don't crowd the pot) and boil for 30-45 seconds or until the skin softens and easily pulls away. The time will vary depending on how ripe the peaches are. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peaches from the pot to a cutting board. Cool the peaches until you can handle, then gently rub the skin from the fruit, or use a paring knife to peel the skin from the peaches. Slice the peaches in half and remove the pit, then slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
Layer the peaches in the baking sheet and toss with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes then remove.
While the peaches are baking, in a large mixing bowl, use a fork or whisk to mix the flour, sugar, egg, melted butter, baking powder and salt until the mixture is similar in texture to cookie dough. Drop the dough onto the top of the baked peaches, gently spreading to cover.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cobbler is bubbly and the crust is golden, crisped, and cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
To make ahead of time, prepare the cobbler through step 4 and refrigerate until ready to bake. If the cobbler is baked cold and straight from the refrigerator, add a 5-10 additional minutes baking time, or until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly.
For a pretty presentation, reserve a few of the cooked peaches before adding the dough, and place them on top of the dough before baking so they sit on top of the cobbler crust.
More Peach Recipe Ideas
- Mountain Fresh Peach Pie Recipe
- Bacon Wrapped Grilled Peaches With Balsamic Glaze
- Grilled Pork Chops With Spicy Balsamic Grilled Peaches
- Peach Panzanella Salad With Burrata And Bacon
- Peach Pie Smoothie
- Pesto Pizza With Balsamic Chicken And Peaches
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Shirley Thompson says
I am not familiar with your recipes and have some questions, please.
Re: The Best Peach Cobbler
In your recipes, when you call for salt, would that be table salt or kosher salt? I assume you mean table salt since you do not designate kosher.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter in the recipe?
I assume you use large eggs?
Thank you.
Heidi says
Hi Shirley, I usually use kosher salt in all of my cooking. You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe and yes large eggs. Hope you give the recipe a try.
Kerry says
Delicious!
Heidi says
Glad you liked it Kerry. THX for the rating!
Sabrina says
nice dish and always conflated cobblers and crisps so good to know the difference thank you
Heidi says
Glad to provide the distinction :) but they’re both delish :)