By Melissa Clark
Updated Aug. 16, 2024
- Total Time
- 70 to 80 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 60 to 70 minutes
- Rating
- 5(14)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This easy peach cobbler is made by layering ripe, juicy fruit over batter rather than nestling it under biscuits or pie dough, giving it a tender, cakelike texture. Browning the butter before merging it with the batter adds nutty, caramelized notes, while buttermilk gives it a lovely tang. Fresh summer peaches (or other stone fruit like nectarines, apricots and plums) are ideal here, but frozen fruit also works well. Serve this warm or at room temperature, preferably on the same day as baking.
Featured in: Peach Cobbler, 2 Ways: Spectacularly Simple and Simply Spectacular
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 2pounds fresh peaches, pitted and sliced (peeling is optional), or 6 cups frozen peach slices
- ½cup/110 grams packed dark brown sugar
- 2 to 3teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter
- 1½cups/187 grams all-purpose flour
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar, more for sprinkling
- 1tablespoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½cups/355 milliliters buttermilk
- ½ to 1teaspoon flavoring, such as freshly grated nutmeg, citrus zest, ground cinnamon, ginger or vanilla, or ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
399 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 50 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 501 milligrams sodium
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
Step
1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large (10- to 12-inch) well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat, combine the peaches, brown sugar and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the liquid thickens slightly, 2 to 4 minutes. Pour peaches and liquid into a bowl and set aside. Taste a peach slice; if it seems flat, add another squeeze or two of lemon until bright and lively.
Step
2
Using the same pan (you don’t need to wipe it out), melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, and let it cook until it smells very nutty, turns golden brown and flecks of dark amber appear, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and reserve the brown butter in the pan.
Step
3
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in buttermilk and any flavorings you like, and mix just until combined.
Step
4
Scrape the batter on top of the brown butter in the pan, but don’t mix it in. The butter will rise and cover some of the batter at the pan’s edges, and this is good. Scatter the peach slices and their juices on top of the batter without stirring. Sprinkle with a little more sugar if you like, for crunch.
Step
5
Bake until the cobbler is golden brown on top, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ratings
5
out of 5
14
user ratings
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Golem
What exactly is a "large" pan? I have 10" and a 12" cast iron pans and 15" stainless steel and non-stick pans. I'm assuming this calls for a 10" pan but if it's for a 12" pan then the ingredients will overflow in a 10" pan and make a mess either in the oven or on a sheet pan.Other readers have complained in the past about imprecise measurements such as large, small, medium and whatever. It should be easy enough in the recipe to indicated what size pan the author used.
Baker Lee
Brown the butter after making the batter because the butter will continue to cook and burn after you’ve taken it off the heat. This way you can pour the batter into the browned butter as soon as the butter reaches the correct level of brown ness.
RLV
How big is a "large cast-iron skillet?"
Tracey T
I asked Melissa and she responded that the large skillet is 10 to 12 inches.
brian
using other recipes as a guide - I would guess 10-10.5 inches skillet. Using the relative size of a spoon and bowl to the skillet in the photo I would assume the same. None the less I dont understand not specifying -- a recipe shouldn't be a guessing game.
glammie
Pan sizes are standardized - 8", 10" or 12". I think a 10" should do the trick. Using a sheet pan is a good idea, and if it overflows, take a breath, chillax and remember that baking is a metaphor for life. It can be messy and you're bound to dirty a few pans in the process.
Scott R
This is simply delicious. I was sure my larger large cast iron skillet (12") would be too big, so I used my 10", and it all fit, but just barely. That said, I like how deep the cobbler is this way. I can't imagine that a more complicated cobbler recipe would necessarily be more delicious. A weeknight winner.
djk
Oh my , so much chatter about pan size , we just want to know if it tastes good
Mary
I like my cobbler made this way also with melted butter first, then the batter, and then the fruit mixture, especially peaches. This year, I’ve added a tsp of bourbon (I live in KY, lol) or Amaretto to the simmered peach mixture. It gives a very subtle smoky enhancement to the peaches.
Ceilidth
Ripe peaches need almost no sugar, brown or white. A cup and a half of sugar destroys the peach flavor. A biscuit based cobbler soaks up the juice of the ripe peaches and is sweet enough without more than a tablespoon or two of sugar in the batter.
dextertracy
I wanted to use my small, countertop oven because of the heat, so needed to use a smaller pan. I used my 3 quart high sided LeCreuset (8" wide and 3.5" tall) to handle the overflow and otherwise followed the recipe. Delicious, quick and easy, and simple enough to riff on without fear. Thanks, Melissa!
R. Katzin.
Please answer: Can I make this with frozen cherries. or frozen blue berries or raspberries or blackberries? NYT, please answer. Thanks
Preston
I see a number of people have asked what size pan to use. Being an amateur, I used a 10" cast iron skillet. It overflowed significantly. Lots of smoke and no cobbler. Rats!
ada's kid
Can I use an all-purpose cast iron skillet - we use it for everything, including frying fish... Will I get fishy peach cobbler???
djk
Oh my , so much chatter about pan size , we just want to know if it tastes good
dimmerswitch
For questions about this recipe re pan sizes, substitutions and techniques, it is helpful to watch Melissa Clark cook this in the NYT Cooking youtube video, a link to which I'll insert here. This recipe is the first 9 minutes of the video. Melissa doesn't address pan size specifically, but it looks about 12" to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsOvlVKk06U&t=120s
Tracey T
I asked Melissa and she responded that the large skillet is 10 to 12 inches.
Golem
What exactly is a "large" pan? I have 10" and a 12" cast iron pans and 15" stainless steel and non-stick pans. I'm assuming this calls for a 10" pan but if it's for a 12" pan then the ingredients will overflow in a 10" pan and make a mess either in the oven or on a sheet pan.Other readers have complained in the past about imprecise measurements such as large, small, medium and whatever. It should be easy enough in the recipe to indicated what size pan the author used.
Bernavel
I made it in an 11 inch nonstick skillet and it came out perfect. I also used two @ 1 pound bags of frozen peaches. Easy
William Wroblicka
The pan in the picture accompanying this recipe looks like a 10-incher to me. But if you have a variety of pan sizes at your disposal, just use some common sense: Put the peaches in one of your pans. If they fit comfortably -- i.e., without overflowing or leaving gaps of empty space -- then proceed with the recipe using that pan. Otherwise, use a smaller or larger pan as the case may be.
glammie
Pan sizes are standardized - 8", 10" or 12". I think a 10" should do the trick. Using a sheet pan is a good idea, and if it overflows, take a breath, chillax and remember that baking is a metaphor for life. It can be messy and you're bound to dirty a few pans in the process.
jean Louis Lonne
I'd say its a 10 inch cast iron with high sides. In case its 12 inch, you can still do the cobbler in a 10 inch, it will only be thicker.
Mary
I like my cobbler made this way also with melted butter first, then the batter, and then the fruit mixture, especially peaches. This year, I’ve added a tsp of bourbon (I live in KY, lol) or Amaretto to the simmered peach mixture. It gives a very subtle smoky enhancement to the peaches.
laura
In the video that accompanies the article she is using a nonstick pan that looks to be 12”.
Ceilidth
Ripe peaches need almost no sugar, brown or white. A cup and a half of sugar destroys the peach flavor. A biscuit based cobbler soaks up the juice of the ripe peaches and is sweet enough without more than a tablespoon or two of sugar in the batter.
Scott R
This is simply delicious. I was sure my larger large cast iron skillet (12") would be too big, so I used my 10", and it all fit, but just barely. That said, I like how deep the cobbler is this way. I can't imagine that a more complicated cobbler recipe would necessarily be more delicious. A weeknight winner.
brian
using other recipes as a guide - I would guess 10-10.5 inches skillet. Using the relative size of a spoon and bowl to the skillet in the photo I would assume the same. None the less I dont understand not specifying -- a recipe shouldn't be a guessing game.
mary robins
Scrape the batter on top of the brown butter in the pan? Not sure what this means.
Mary
I think it means the use of a flexible, rubber spatula — sometimes called a scraper spatula for mixing and scraping — to ensure all the batter is scraped from the bowl. I gently pour or spoon the batter on top of the browned butter and then use a flexible spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to transfer all of the batter mixture.
dimmerswitch
mary robins - See the NYT Cooking video on youtube of Melissa making this recipe to see the "how to" of scraping batter on top of brown butter. Link here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsOvlVKk06U
brian
If you watch the video, she uses a spatula to push the batter from the bowl into the warm pan that contains butter. no further mixing - the batter rests on top of the butter.
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