Fresh Peach Cobbler

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert. Peach cobbler is the ultimate comforting dessert, celebrating the season’s fresh flavors. Cut the peaches into chunks for the best texture and use this easy buttermilk biscuit topping for the best flavor.

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert Fresh Peach Cobbler

Last weekend when I dropped the dogs off at my mother-in-law’s, I walked into boxes of peaches on the counter. They were sunset-hued, freshly picked Red Haven peaches. She was canning them, a Quinn family tradition. I helped out for a few moments before my husband and I had to get on the road for the beach. I was, however, lucky enough to grab a few finished cans as well as an extra box of fresh peaches when I picked the dogs back up.

The peaches were sweet as candy, so I ate several right away. You know the kind of peaches where juice drips down your chin when you take that first bite? These were just that. I put others into smoothies and, realizing I didn’t even put a dent into my peach stash, I made 3 different peach cobblers. Results were tasty and eye-opening.

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert Fresh Peach Cobbler

What Peach Cobbler Should Be

Up until this past week, let’s call it The Week of Cobbler, I only made the classic a few times. Each cobbler was good, but certainly nothing I could rave about. In my recipe testing this week, I learned that there are several peach cobbler standards:

The peach syrup has to be rich and sweet, but not overly sweet.

The peaches shouldn’t be too flimsy and definitely chunks not slices.

Chunks are best, as seen in my peach crumble pie.

Lemon juice balances the sweet peaches and sugar.

Minimal cornstarch to thicken the peaches. Too much weighs them down.

Definitely a crisp biscuit topping with a moist interior.

But not too crisp! And not undercooked!

The biscuit should have a beautiful butter flavor. Bland ruins it all.

Golden sheen and cinnamon-sugar on the biscuit are necessary.

Top with vanilla ice cream or even fresh whipped cream!

It sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? Well, it’s easier than you can imagine!

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert Fresh Peach Cobbler

How to Make Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler combines juicy sweet peaches with a simple biscuit topping. The biscuit is crisp on top and buttery soft underneath and tastes phenomenal on top of the succulent brown sugar peaches. It’s so much easier than peach pie, but just as satisfying. Let’s break down each step:

Peel the peaches and cut into chunks. Peach chunks easily fit on your spoon and they don’t become as flimsy as peach slices. Peach chunks are also the best for peach pie, too.

Mix the filling ingredients together. You need, peaches, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Since peaches are naturally sweet, you only need 1/4 cup of sugar in the filling. Spread the filling into a 9×13 inch pan.

Pre-bake the peaches. Pre-baking the peach filling for about 10 minutes before adding the biscuit topping. Without this step, the peaches could remain firm underneath the topping.

While the peaches pre-bake, make the biscuit topping. Mix a few basic ingredients together. You need flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until pea-sized crumbs form. These flour-coated butter crumbles promise a flaky soft, but crisp biscuit topping. After that, mix in buttermilk.

Top peaches with biscuit dough. Using your hands, form the dough into little patties and place them on top of the warm peaches.

Bake until the topping is lightly browned.

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert Fresh Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler Biscuit Topping

There are plenty of ways to make peach cobbler. There’s a cake-like variety which combines cake batter and peaches. The cake batter is actually on the bottom and floats above the peaches as it all bakes. Of course it’s all personal preference, but I definitely gravitate towards the biscuit. There’s more crunchy texture and the whole thing tastes wholesome and rich, especially when the warm sticky peach syrup and vanilla ice cream topping cross paths.

I love that the biscuit topping is made from basic ingredients. And I know you’ll appreciate that too! I strongly recommend using buttermilk for an ultra-rich biscuit flavor. It’s what I use to prepare my homemade biscuits, too.

The biscuit dough arrangement on top of the peaches doesn’t need to be exact or perfect. Some peaches can be exposed underneath. It might not look pretty, but this peach cobbler smells awesome as it bakes! Before baking, brush the biscuit layer with a little egg wash (egg + buttermilk), then sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar. These little extras add a lovely golden sheen and extra flavor. Highly recommended!

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert Fresh Peach Cobbler

This biscuit-topped peach cobbler is rustic, comforting, and extremely simple without overcomplicating things. The peaches are obviously the star of the show and the whole dessert won’t leave you with a toothache. It’s fresh and pure summer goodness.

Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert Fresh Peach Cobbler