Peach season is coming to a close, so it’s time to make a deliciously fresh peach cobbler before it’s too late.
It seems like peaches are only at their peak for the briefest of moments each year. Sometime around the end of July or the beginning of August, the lush, sweet-juiced stone fruits are perfectly soft. When peaches are at the precise moment of ripeness, biting into one can be a life-changing experience.
Sadly, this type of perfection seems like it lasts only a few hours, or a few days at most.
The rest of the year, if they are available at all, peaches are hard, dry and kind of tasteless. Out-of-season peaches only tease us, offering the smallest of hints about their full potential.
Just be patient, they seem to whisper to us. Our time is coming and it will be worth the wait.
Canned peaches, which come submerged in sickeningly sweet syrup, are an insult to the pure, natural richness of fresh peaches.
This peach cobbler was made with perfectly ripe peaches, giving it a fully, rich flavor. The hyper sweetness of the roasting peaches is perfectly complemented by the decadent lushness of the whole butter and sugar.
You could make peach cobbler with peaches that aren’t at the height of their ripeness or even with canned peaches. But that would be like having someone describe a sunset to you. It’s never going to be as good as the real thing.
You’re better off waiting for that magical time next year when the peaches are just perfect and all is right with the world.
Peach Cobbler
1 stick Butter, melted
1 cup plus 3 TBS Granulated Sugar, divided
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 to 4 Ripe Peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced thin
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pour melted butter into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish (either 11″x7″or 8″ square). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar, the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together. Stir in the milk and vanilla to form a loose batter, then pour the batter over the melted butter.
2. Toss the peaches in the remaining 3 TBS of sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Shingle the peach slices on top of the batter. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cobbler comes out clean. The top will be browned and the cobbler will begin to pull away from the pan when it is done.
3. Serve warm with a little whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drop dead of happiness.
During the peach off season, you can make this cobbler with blueberries, cherries or even apples or pears and it will be delicious. But it won’t be as magical as peach cobbler made with peaches at the height of their ripeness.
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