Insanely Easy Peach Cobbler
Peach cobbler is a great dessert recipe to make especially during the summertime when peaches are in season. With this recipe using canned peaches though, you can enjoy peach cobbler all year long! Baking your peaches into a lovely, warm cobbler reminds me of the beautiful countryside. And with this recipe only having five ingredients, making peach cobbler is easier than ever!
In this blog post, you will learn how to make an easy peach cobbler.
What Makes a Cobbler?
Dessert cobblers received their name from what they looked like after they were baked: a cobbler street. Cobblers have batter and as it is baking, the batter separates and you can begin to see the contents through it. This is because the fruit gets dropped or spooned onto the top of the batter. Cobblers differ from pies because cobblers have a batter as their base whereas pies have a crust.
Cobbler vs. Crisp vs. Crumble… What’s the Difference?
These three desserts are all very similar but have their main differences. The cobbler is the most different of the three while the crisp and crumble only have one key ingredient difference and are often used interchangeably in a sentence.
Cobbler: cobblers have received their name due to the cobble street like look that they have once they are baked. They typically feature fruit filling on the bottom or top with a biscuit-like or cake-like batter either on top or on the bottom depending on the recipe. The texture of a cobbler is soft and cake-like, similar to a scone or biscuit.
Crisp: crisps are different from crumbles because they have oats in their streusel-like topping. Crisps have fruit filling on the bottom and have a crumb topping on top made from a mixture of flour, sugar, butter, and oats and sometimes nuts. When the topping is baked it is crispy and crumbly, and the texture resembles granola or an oatmeal cookie.
Crumble: crumbles differ from crisps because they do not have oats in their topping. A crumbles’ topping is made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter which results in a softer, crumbly texture when baked. They tend to have a finer texture that crumbles due to not having oats and have a buttery and sweet flavour.
What Form of Peach Should I Use?
There are three different types of peaches that you can use to make peach cobbler: canned peaches, fresh peaches, and frozen peaches.
Canned Peaches: canned peaches are the most convenient way of making peach cobbler and can be made at any time of the year! Not just during peach season.
Fresh Peaches: fresh peaches are a lovely seasonal option if you can purchase them from the farmer, the store, or grow them yourself. Merely, blanch them, slice them up, and set them on top of the cobbler batter. You will want the juices to run over the cobbler. Free stone peaches will be the easiest type of peach to slice up as the fruit flesh does not stick to the pit. See the next heading below on how to remove the skin from the peaches.
Frozen Peaches: frozen peaches can be used quite easily for this recipe. If you had previously stored your leftover fresh peaches in the freezer, then this recipe will work well. Remove them from the freezer and let them thaw. When they have thawed some juice will have accumulated in the bag, you will use that in this dessert. You pour the thawed juice over the cobbler exactly as you would with the liquid from the canned peaches.
I personally have tried all three of these options, and they all work well in this recipe without sacrificing taste or texture so it is really up to you and what version of peach you have at your disposal.
How Do I Remove the Skin From my Fresh Peaches?
In order to remove the skin from your peaches, you will need to blanch the peaches.
Blanching is the process of scalding the vegetables or fruit in boiling water for a very short amount of time then transferring them quicky to a cold bowl of water or an ice bath. This process allows the skin to fall off easily.
Below you will find the steps to blanching and preparing your peaches
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then insert the peaches for 30 seconds.
- Remove the peaches from the boiling water and transfer them to the prepared ice bath. The peach skins should easily slide off and the peaches will be ready to slice.
- Slice the peaches up evenly to allow for even baking.
By using a free-stone pit, it will allow you to more easily remove the flesh from the pit and make slicing up the peaches easier.
Are Canned Peaches Just as Good as Fresh Peaches?
Yes, in my opinion canned peaches can yield just as good results as fresh peaches. Peach cobbler recipes made with canned peaches can be just as amazing as peach cobbler made with fresh peaches. Fresh peaches are a lovely treat and amazing to use in your peach cobbler, but if you live in an area where peaches cannot grow naturally, or you missed peach season, you should not have to miss out on being able to bake your own peach cobbler. Canned peaches will taste just as good, so good that you will have a hard time telling the difference between canned and fresh peaches.
How to Serve Your Peach Cobbler
Serve your warm peach cobbler with a side of vanilla ice cream in the summertime. In the wintertime, eat it with a nice cup of hot tea. You can also reheat the next day and enjoy just as much as having it served freshly baked. Your peach cobbler can be stored for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Ingredients
Self-Rising Flour: self-rising flour is the main ingredient for the batter. It allows the batter to rise due to the flour having baking powder in it already. Note: if you do not have self-rising flour, use all-purpose flour and add 1 tsp. of baking powder as a substitute.
Granulated Sugar: granulated sugar adds the sweetness to your dessert and helps to amplify the already sweet peaches.
Butter: butter adds richness and flavour to the cobbler. While also adding creaminess towards the texture of the batter.
Milk: milk adds the moisture and combings everything into a thick batter.
Sliced Peaches: slices peaches are the star of this recipe. They sit on top of the batter to give it a lovely presentation.
Tips
- Because the peach juice sits on top of the batter when you insert a knife to test for doneness it will most likely always be a little wet. If the knife is only slightly wet and the top looks well done and browned, the cobbler is done baking and needs to be removed from the oven.
- If you are preparing your own peaches, make sure that they are sliced uniformly to allow the dish to bake evenly. This will allow the fruit juice to be spread throughout the dish and infuse it with flavour.
- You can change the taste of the peach cobbler by adding just a dash of cinnamon to it. Cinnamon complements the sweetness of the peaches and adds depth to the cobbler. Do not add too much as only a small amount will change the taste. You can put in a 1 tsp. max of cinnamon or else it will be too overpowering.
Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- ½ c. butter softened
- ¾ c. granulated sugar
- 1 c. self-rising flour or 1 c. all-purpose flour with 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 c. milk
- 1 can of sliced peaches do not drain
- Optional: dash of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉/190℃/Gas Mark 5.
- Cream softened butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Add flour and mix together well.
- Pour in milk and beat mixture on high with handheld mixer until batter is mostly smooth.
- Pour batter into a greased 9x9 dish.
- Place peaches on top of batter and pour peach juice on top of the batter and peaches.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until top is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.