Southern Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler is a traditional dessert in the south and all over the world. Made with warm, sweet peaches and a decadent cobbler style crust, it’s the perfect treat for any occasion. Whether you use canned, frozen, or fresh peaches, learn how to make the best southern peach cobbler recipe!
If you’re craving juicy, sweetened and spiced peaches then you have to try this Peach Cobbler Stuffed French Toast for breakfast!
Peach cobbler brings back so many amazing memories for me. Living in the South for over 15 years, I was afforded the opportunity to eat some of the most amazing comfort food, and peach cobbler is one of my favorites.
About this peach cobbler recipe:
Since this cobbler recipe has been in my family for so long, I have learned to make it with my eyes closed! It is truly special to make a dessert from scratch, without having to worry about the outcome. Several generations of aunts and grandmas have helped perfect this treat.
Another one of my favorite cobbler recipes is Ree Drummond’s from the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. One of the reasons it is my favorite is because she took a couple of easy shortcuts, using frozen peaches being one of them. We love ours with a lot of cobbler (crust) though!
How to make homemade peach cobbler:
This recipe calls for a bit more for the topping- because that’s the favorite part of peach cobbler in this house!
This easy peach cobbler recipe uses frozen peaches instead of fresh peaches. This simple swap cuts out a lot of time and labor. Fresh peaches can most certainly be substituted in place of the frozen, but I can assure you, this is just as tasty!
I have also made the recipe using canned peaches, but try to avoid the ones that are in heavy syrup. Even more important, do not use the ones that are made for “pie filling.”
The cobbler topping may or may not cover the entire dish. Nonetheless, it will spread out when it bakes. Top it with french vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for the ultimate dessert.
My cobbler is too watery what do I do?
Using this recipe should ensure that the cobbler doesn’t come out too watery. Sometimes using fresh and frozen peaches will yield more juices than we want. With that said, the addition of cornstarch helps thicken the juices in this recipe.
Furthermore, baking the peaches prior to adding the cobbler topping will help gauge the viscosity of the peaches. If there is still too much liquid for your liking after it bakes, use a turkey baster to remove it, or gently pour it out. It is also important to remember that the cobbler will thicken up as it cools down.
Cobbler vs. pie crust vs. crumble:
A cobbler is a biscuit (bread) like texture. Cobbler is often used for deep dish style fruit desserts, such as this peach cobbler. The topping for the cobbler is a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar combined.
Pie crust is a dough that is formed and bakes completely. Most pies will have a crust on the bottom, and the top. The crust is typically more firm and crispy than that of a cobbler.
For crumbles, a streusel-like dough is formed and sprinkled on the top of a dessert. Typically crumbles are made with some sort of flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes oats or nuts.
Although all three types of toppings can be used for desserts, this particular variation uses the cobbler style topping. Although the photos may look like the topping is “crumbly,” it is in fact more of a biscuit/dough-like consistency.
How do you store and reheat the peach cobbler:
If (and when) our household has leftovers, we simply put them in an airtight container, or cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. When it’s time to reheat, simply pop it in a microwave, in a safe dish of course, and reheat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Can I use canned peaches instead of frozen?
Yes, you can! If you only have canned peaches on-hand, they will work just as well. Both frozen and canned peaches are perfect for when the fruit is out of season so can enjoy southern peach cobbler year-round.
The most important thing though, make sure that the peaches are in their own juices. Do not get the peaches for pie filling, or peaches in heavy syrup. If you get these types, it will drastically change the flavor of the peach cobbler.
Using fresh peaches:
Peaches are in season in the summer so they are prime for peach cobbler. Follow all of the steps exactly as shown. About three fresh peaches (depending on the size), are equal to about one pound of frozen peaches.
You will add an additional five to seven minutes to the pre bake time. This is t ensure that the peaches get nice and tender.
The Best Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
Peaches
- 2 bags Frozen peaches, 20 ounces each
- 1 cup Granulated sugar, (white sugar)
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract, (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons Corn starch
- 1 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- 1/2 stick Butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 1 teaspoon Fresh lemon juice
Cobbler topping
- 2 cups All purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar, (white sugar)
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon, reserve 1/2 for garnishment
- 1 stick Butter, unsalted cold
- 1/4 cup Boiling hot water, see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Granulated sugar, to dust top of cobbler
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray. In the same dish, add the frozen peaches, white and brown sugars, vanilla and almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, corn starch, cream of tartar, butter, water, and lemon juice.
- Mix the peaches together with the ingredients until everything is fully combined. Cover the dish with foil and cook the mixture in the oven for 20 minutes.
- While peaches are cooking, combine the all purpose flour, both white and brown sugars, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 tablespoon of the cinnamon.
- Work the cold stick of butter into the flour mixture by breaking it up with a pastry cutter or with your hands. Work it in until it looks like coarse meal or crumbles.
- Add the hot water and stir together with a spoon until it's just combined. The cobbler should have a drop biscuit-like texture.
- Remove the peaches from the oven and spoon cobbler dough mixture over the peaches. Make each dough droplet about the size of a golf ball leaving a tiny bit of space between each one (see photo and notes below) to ensure they cook through.
- Peaches will not be fully covered. Combine sugar and and remaining 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over dough.
- Place the dish back in the oven uncovered and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Check on it after 30 minutes for doneness and remove it once the cobbler crust is golden brown and delicious. And enjoy!
Notes
Equipment
*VIDEO IS A SYNOPSIS OF THE RECIPE MEANT TO SHOW STEPS TAKEN- IT IS NOT THE FULL RECIPE.
This cobbler was really good! I used frozen peaches so had a bit more liquid but that cooked out. I did use 1/2 the amount of sugar called for in both the fruit and the topping, I just felt that 4 cups total sugar would be way too much, that was the only adjustment I made and it tasted great.
Hey Angela! I’m so glad you adjusted it to your taste buds- that’s what cooking is all about! Thanks for coming back to leave a review.
How much sugar did you add?
Hi Leslie. How much sugar do you add to what exactly? All of the measurements are in the recipe card above.
Going to make this on Sunday!! I have peaches that I don’t know what to do with 🙂 Perfect time for this recipe to show up! It looks delicious AND like something I can handle, lol.
Heyyyyy Naomi! Come back and let me know how it turns out!
O…..M…..G……sssssoooooo good!!! Easy and fun to make! Great recipe and instructions Tammy! I’m sure my family loves me even more today for making this 🙂
I can’t wait to explore your website some more!
Haha!! Yayy! I’m so happy you tried it and nailed it! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Loved the cobbler. Made it for home and work, but I cut sugars by half and will cut out even more sugar when I make it next time. Topped with ice cream…its even sweeter 🙂 I used double amount of fresh peaches and only half of the batter the 2nd time. Like it more fruity. Will definitely make it again.
Thank you for the review! It makes me so happy that you customized the recipe to your satisfaction! That’s what it’s all about!
Can I make this recipe in a cast iron skillet? Would any adjustments need to be made? Want to make sure it bakes all the way through and doesn’t overflow. Thank you.
I have not tried making it in a cast iron skillet. Considering how much they retain heat, I would suggest turning the oven temp down a bit to ensure the cobbler bakes through. Come back and let me know how it turns out!
I used 2-16 oz bags of frozen peaches and made it in my 10” cast iron skillet. The flavor was good (although I may reduce sugar since it was a bit too sweet for my taste) but the dish was probably too small which changed the texture from that yummy crumbly topping to softer/mushier one that I kept mistaking for undercooked. All in all everyone liked it but I would follow the original recipe and make it in 9×13 or reduce the amount of topping to make it proportional to the dish and allow for air gaps.
I’m always in the mood for peach cobbler. And this one looks absolutely gorgeous. Now I must make this. 🙂
I loved the abundance of topping in this recipe – my fave part of a cobbler!
The cobbler turned out perfectly! Thanks for posting
Glad you enjoyed it!
Glad frozen peaches worked as it’s not stone fruit season for us yet!
Super Tasty!
I had a dozen peaches sitting on my counter when I saw your post. OMG what a delicious cobbler, everyone asked for seconds!
Wow is amazing dessert! I Love it thank you for the recipe
I don’t know anything better than a classic peach cobbler. So good!
Such a great and easy recipe. I love cobblers in the fall!
I’m attempting this recipe but for some reason my crust dough is super gooey – not crumbly, suggestions?!
Hi Veronica, try lowering the oven temp to 350, and bake for 45 minutes instead of 30. For reference though, the cobbler texture is not crumbly at all, it’s more “bread-like.” Hope this helps.
Love the taste of the cobbler but feel the proportions may be off….I only put 1/4 c water in the peaches instead of the full cup the recipe calls for and it was still too juicy (just noticed water isn’t mentioned in the video). Also, the dough was very dark, and not stiff like pictured…too much butter possibly. Baked it for 26 minutes in my convection oven and the top was super dark but the dough is way undercooked.
Hi there. I have notes in the post as to what can be done if the cobbler is too “watery.” A lot of the factors you mentioned are dependent on individual oven settings, whether fresh or frozen peaches are used etc. This recipe has been handed down from several generations, so it has been made a countless number of times. Hopefully you’ll try it again and have better results.
I made this & it turned out similar to yours. The taste was off as well from peach cobbler I’m used to. I should have omitted the almond extract.
My son and I are making this today and sadly discovered that the instructions don’t mention when to put in the baking powder. We didn’t notice it until we were putting the cobbler dough onto the peaches. A revision to your recipe to correct this would be much appreciated!
Hi Sarah. Thanks for the feedback, I will update the instructions to include the addition of baking powder.
How much baking powder? My crust came out more like a crumble. I used frozen peaches. Maybe not enough water was added to the dough. I will definitely try again. It was delicious even if the dough didn’t turn out as expected.
Hey Grace! 2 tablespoons, as the recipe card states. Not sure what went wrong for you… but at least it tasted good!
Can i used canned peaches?
Yes. Try not to get the peaches for pie filling.
I don’t have almond extract, willstill be okay to make it?
Yes- it will. The almond extract just adds a subtle touch of flavor.
This was so delicious!! My foodie son just kept making yummy noises & said it was the best dessert he’d had all summer! The cinnamon and nutmeg, and then subtle finish of almond, are just fabulous flavor notes. I try lots of recipes & this one is a keeper!
Yay!! “Foodie son” approved makes me happy! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Snap a pic next time so I can check it out!
Hi, so a 20oz. bag is 2 1/12 c do you think? I am freezing fresh peaches in a couple of weeks and will freeze enough to make this. So would you say for this recipe would I need 5 cups of frozen? Thank you!
I used 2 bags of 20 ounce frozen peaches for this recipe, so yes 5-5/12 cups should be sufficient.