Homemade Peach Cobbler

Fresh Peach Cobbler just may be the ultimate summer dessert comfort food. It’s simple, easy and a timeless classic with a buttery cobbler topping, fresh juicy peaches, and hints of cinnamon in a rich, sweet syrup. This fresh peach cobbler is the best I have ever eaten. It has a perfectly wonderful crust that is crisp on top but is also soft and moist and chewy thanks to the juicy peaches bubbling below it.

What makes this the Best Ever Peach Cobbler

Did you know that California and South Carolina both produce more peaches than Georgia? It’s true. Georgia gets credit for being the state to commercialize peach production in the U.S. though, so a big thank you to the Peach State.

I love anything that is a crumble, cobbler, crisp or pie. One of the first recipes ever posted on House of Nash Eats was a delectable Blackberry Nectarine Crumble (which is also wonderful with peaches in place of nectarines).

But as of yet, no cobblers! That changes today with this Fresh Peach Cobbler that is the epitome of summer dessert (okay, possibly tied with Strawberry Shortcake).

Obviously we’re big on peaches at our house. They are my favorite fruit and some of our other favorite peach recipes are Southern Peach Pie, Old-Fashioned Fresh Peach Ice Cream, and Raspberry Peach Italian Cream Sodas.

What is Peach Cobbler?

A cobbler is a fruit dessert with a biscuit or cake-like topping baked over the fruit filling. It’s close cousins are crisps (a crumbly oat topping) and crumbles (a similarly crumbled topping but with no oats), and a little farther off is peach pie.

However, some folks get loosey goosey with their dessert names and I’ve seen recipes for Southern peach cobbler that are basically peach pies with only the top crust, and others that involve pouring a cake batter made with self-rising flour over melted butter, then spooning syrupy cooked peaches over the top of that where the batter rises up to the top as it bakes.

I don’t know that anyone can really say what a traditional Southern peach cobbler may be with much authority and it honestly might depend on what part of the South you were raised in!

One thing I DO know is that when making a peach cobbler, it’s important that it tastes like perfectly ripe summer peaches. The kind where if you eat them out of hand the juice drips pink and sticky down your wrists. You don’t want to overload your cobbler with spices or thicken the peach filling too much!

Cobbler is supposed to be juicy and more syrupy than a pie since there’s no bottom crust in a cobbler that you need to worry about cooking through and becoming soggy.

Peach Cobbler ingredients

• Ripe, Fresh Peaches – They should be firm to the touch with just a slight give, not mushy and not rock hard.
• Sugar – You’ll need both light brown sugar and granulated sugar for the filling and topping.
• Salted Butter – I always use salted butter in my baking.
• Ground Cinnamon – It’s not a lot, but a small amount compliments the peaches beautifully and tastes incredible in cobbler form.
• Cornstarch – This is my thickening agent of choice for this dessert, although you could use flour as your thickener by doubling the amount in place of the cornstarch.
• Lemon Juice – This balances out the flavors, keeping things bright, while also keeping the color of the filling vibrant.
• Baking Powder – A little leavening agent helps the cobbler topping rise a bit.
• Hot Water – This should either be boiling or very, very hot tap water.

What are the best peaches for cobbler?

Sometimes you don’t have a choice with the types of peaches your store has or ones you can find at the farmers market, but if you can find Freestone peaches, they are the best for baking. Freestone peaches are good for baking and cooking because the flesh easily separates from the pit making this peach easy to peel and slice.

How to make this Fresh Peach Cobbler Recipe

1. Prep the peaches. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Gather your peaches and peel, pit, and slice the peaches into thick slices. A trick to peeling peaches is to boil them for thirty seconds then stick them in cold water to cool down. The skin will peel right off. After prepping the peaches, melt ¼ cup of butter and pour into a large 9X13” pan.
2. Mix the filling and pour into pan. In a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches, sugars, cinnamon, cornstarch and lemon juice. Toss everything together until nicely coated. Don’t worry if the filing seems to runny. The cornstarch will help thicken the filling while baking but the filing will not set up like a peach pie. This filling will be more on the runny side. Pour the peach mixture into the pan over the melted butter.

3. Prep the cobbler topping. Combine the flour, both sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir together.
4. Mix cobbler topping. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Next, microwave ½ cup of water until it starts to boil. About a minute and a half. Grab your hot water and pour into the flour mixture. Stir until everything is combined. The hot water helps speed up the cooking process and keeps the cobbler fluffy.

5. Distribute cobbler on peach filling. Drop spoonfuls of the cobbler over the peaches. Don’t worry if the cobbler doesn’t completely cover the peaches, the topping will spread and rise as it cooks. Just try to dollop the cobbler as evenly as you can over the peaches.
6. Bake cobbler for thirty minutes. Sprinkle the cobbler with the additional 3 tablespoons of sugar. This adds a nice sugar crust on the top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the peach filling is bubbling up around the edges. Sometimes the fruit juices can bubble over so you may want to bake the cobbler on a baking sheet to catch the excess juice.
7. Let the peach cobbler cool. Remove the cobbler from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes to an hour. I know it’s going to be difficult to wait, but you have to wait at least half an hour to give the cobbler a little time to set up so the syrup can thicken and the peaches won’t burn your tongue with the first bite. Serve with vanilla ice cream when ready.

Notes to make the Best Ever Peach Cobbler

Know going into this that peach cobbler filling won’t set up as much as peach pie filling. We’re going light on the cornstarch here – just enough to barely thicken the filling so it isn’t totally runny but not enough to make it gummy or more jelly-like.

You are going to be scooping out juicy peaches and pieces of cobbler topping with a spoon rather than a spatula. It’s not going to hold up because it’s not intended to and that’s alright! Just spoon some of that syrupy peach filling over the top. Just don’t fret if it looks like there is too much juice in the bottom of the pan as you are serving.

Cobbler is a much less formal affair than other desserts and I’m totally okay with that.

It’s going to be difficult with the heavenly aroma and the sight of the bubbling juices and beautifully golden topping to resist devouring the cobbler on the spot, but you have to wait at least half an hour to give the cobbler a little time to set up so the syrup can thicken and the peaches don’t scorch your tongue at first bite.

I aim for between 8-10 cups of peeled and sliced peaches, but in all honesty, I don’t usually measure the fruit when making a cobbler. I just start peeling and slicing until it looks like a lot of peaches and then call it good.

A good fresh peach cobbler is also the perfect dessert as we transition into fall as peaches come into season on the tail end of summer in most places and this cobbler has hints of the ubiquitous fall-favorite seasoning of cinnamon.

We go really light on the cinnamon here since we’re still clinging to summer with this peach cobbler. But that little bit of cinnamon is just enough to remind you that Fall is around the corner, like when you are outside in the evening and realize there is a cooler breeze than you thought and you might need a sweater for the first time in months!

How to serve Fresh Peach Cobbler

Serve your fresh peach cobbler warm with a big scoop of ice cream. Some people opt for whipped cream over ice cream but either way the warm cobbler with the contrast of the cold cream is just about perfect.

How to store Peach Cobbler with Fresh Peaches

I would recommend storing your fresh cobbler in the refrigerator once the cobbler has cooled completely. Cover it in plastic wrap or tin foil and it will stay good for 2 or 3 days. Any longer than that and it might start turning a bit soggy.

Homemade Peach Cobbler FAQs

More Peach Recipes For Peach Season

• Peach Panzanella Salad
• Southern Peach Pie Perfection
• Raspberry Peach Pie
• Peaches and Cream Slab Pie

Ice Cream

Peach Ice Cream

Sweets & Treats

Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream

Pie

Fresh Peach Pie

Print Pin Rate

Best Ever Peach Cobbler

4.91 from 10 votes

Amy Nash

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Fresh Peach Cobbler just may be the ultimate summer dessert comfort food.  It’s simple, easy and a timeless classic with a buttery cobbler topping, fresh juicy peaches, and hints of cinnamon in a rich, sweet syrup.  This is the best peach cobbler I have ever eaten!  It has a perfectly wonderful crust that is crisp on top but is also soft and moist and chewy thanks to the juicy peaches bubbling below it.    

Ingredients

  

123

Fruit Filling

• ▢ 1/4 cup salted butter melted
• ▢ 10-12 fresh ripe peaches peeled, pitted and sliced thick (about 8-10 cups)
• ▢ 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cobbler Topping

• ▢ 2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon table salt
• ▢ 12 Tablespoons salted butter chilled and cut into small pieces
• ▢ 1/2 cup boiling hot water
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons additional granulated sugar for sprinkling over top

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Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 400°F. Peel, pit and slice peaches into thick slices. Melt butter and pour into a large 9×13" pan.
  ¼ cup salted butter, 10-12 fresh ripe peaches
• In a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches, sugars, cinnamon, cornstarch and lemon juice and toss to coat. Pour into the pan right over the melted butter.
  ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Prepare the cobbler topping by combining the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
  2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt
• Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, then stir in the boiling hot water just until everything is combined.
  12 Tablespoons salted butter, ½ cup boiling hot water
• Drop spoonfuls of the cobbler topping over the peaches. The topping will rise and spread as it cooks, so no need to worry about spreading it around. Just try to cover the peaches evenly with dollops of cobbler topping.
• Sprinkle the cobbler with the 3 additional tablespoons of granulated sugarBake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the peach filling is bubbling up around the edges. You may want to bake it on a baking sheet just in case the fruit juices bubble over during the cooking process.
  3 Tablespoons additional granulated sugar
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

• Storage: I would recommend storing your fresh cobbler in the refrigerator once the cobbler has cooled completely. Cover it in plastic wrap or tin foil and it will stay good for 2 or 3 days. Any longer than that and it might start turning a bit soggy.
• The number of peaches in your filling can vary depending on size.  You can always go on the high side even with large peaches if you prefer more fruit to topping, but I wouldn’t adjust the sugar content of the fruit filling, even if using a few extra peaches. Also, this is called Fresh Peach Cobbler for a reason, but if you MUST make it during the off-season, I would recommend 10 cups of thawed and drained frozen peaches rather than canned peaches in syrup.  But really, nothing beats fresh peaches.

Adapted from All Recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 5g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 255mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g

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