Best Peach Cobbler

By Alex Ward

Updated April 16, 2024

  • Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Erin Jeanne McDowell.
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Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
4(4,569)
Comments
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Everyone has a different idea about what a cobbler should be. Biscuit-topped? Double-crusted? Cakelike? We’re not here to cast a vote, merely to present a simple Southern cake-style cobbler that makes the most of ripe summer peaches (or the frozen ones languishing in the back of your freezer). All you really need is a bowl, a saucepan, a baking pan and a spoon. This recipe is all about showcasing the fruit, so when you transfer the batter to the pan, it will not completely cover the bottom, nor will it cover the top of the peaches. As it bakes, the batter will rise up along the sides of the pan and through the peaches, developing a crisp exterior and tender interior. If you'd like a taller cobbler with a higher cake-to-fruit ratio, do as many readers do, and double the batter.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

  • 2 pounds ripe peaches or 6 cups frozen sliced peaches (no need to peel)

  • 12 tablespoons butter (1 ½ sticks)

  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (See Tip)

  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • ½ cup milk

  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)

51 grams carbs; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 335 calories; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 238 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 39 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, pit and slice the peaches. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sliced peaches and ½ cup sugar. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and syrupy.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar with the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk until combined.

  3. Step 3

    Add 8 tablespoons of butter to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and place it in the oven. When the butter is melted, reserve ⅓ cup of the batter and set aside. Add the rest of the batter to the pan, using a spatula to spread it out as much as you can. It will not fully cover the bottom of the pan. That’s O.K.

  4. Step 4

    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. (It will not fully cover the peaches. Again, that’s O.K.!)

  5. Step 5

    Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Tips

  • This recipe originally called for 1 cup self-rising flour. If you use self-rising flour, leave out the baking powder, and add ¼ teaspoon of salt instead of ¾.

  • This cake is best the day it's made as the crisp exterior softens when covered with plastic wrap or foil for storage. Still, it makes a great breakfast.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,569 user ratings
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Comments

DWF

Definitely Southern style, and as my family is from Georgia I used Georgia peaches at maximum ripeness. The 9X13 pan is too large for the quantity of batter called for in the recipe. Yes, the batter spreads out but there's still not enough to come out looking like the pic above. A solid recipe, true to Southern cooking standards except it doesn't include a half teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg that would push the results to Southern culinary gold star level. Increase batter/add spices!

Gurukaram

Yum - made it twice now. Cut the sugar by 1/2 cup overall and the butter by 2 TBS this time and it came out great. Rich, sweet and decadent both times.

Aurelia

I agree with others to decrease the sugar and butter and to double the amount of batter. Also, you don't need to peel the peaches. I left mine unpeeled and it turned out fine.

Auntie Mush

My batter ended up more like crumble. Next time I will add more milk. I will also probably not sauté the peaches as long, it turned out a little mushy.

JN

As so many others have said, this is a very old recipe. I made this in college, in a loaf pan, in a toaster oven. At least once a week in the Summer. This was in the 70’s and I used my Great Grandmother’s handwritten note on a piece of paper. It was known as Essie’s Cobbler. I used a whole can of peaches, juice included. You can use brown butter, extra this or that, but to a very young adult not knowing much of anything - this is a delicious memory.

Cleo

do you think you could make these in individual ramekins? Just a dollop of peaches and dollop of batter on top?

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