Peach Cobbler

One of the many things I love about my freezer is all the summer fruits I have tucked away on the third shelf.  I love pulling them out in the middle of winter to remind me that summer will soon be back and we can once again enjoy long days of sunshine, fun in the backyard, lazy afternoons at the pool, and numerous fresh fruits and vegetables.

This past summer, we picked up a bushel of fresh peaches out at Yutzy's Farm Market.  I sliced, cut, and froze lots of bags of peaches because the crop was delightfully sweet and plentiful this year.  I first made this particular peach cobbler this summer and decided to try it with my frozen peaches over this past weekend.  The peaches lost their firmness a bit, but the taste was just as yummy as it was this summer.  This recipe is a mix of several I found after doing a Google search for "peach cobbler."   The topping is like a sweet cake and the cinnamon gives it a deep, rich flavor in contrast with the tart peaches.  Add a scoop of french vanilla ice cream and you're all set!

The cobbler tastes best the first day, preferably still warm from the oven.  It does not get all runny, however, by the second day, as many fruit filled desserts can.  I have to exert great self control to keep from snitching bites of it while sitting leftover on the counter.  Maybe the family will never notice that their portions are a bit smaller that second night! 

I thought I took a picture of this on Saturday, but I must not have as I can not find it on the camera.  The oldest daughter and her friend helped me make this dessert on Saturday during their afternoon playdate.  They couldn't believe that when you put it in the oven the fruit is on top, and when it comes out of the oven the fruit is on the bottom!  I tried to refrain from making our baking session into too much of a science lesson.  It's not always cool to have a teacher mom, especially when you're 11 and have a friend over. (Or at least that's what I've been told!)

If you have some peaches in your freezer, give this a try.  If not, file this one away until peach season comes back around.  Just make sure that the peaches you use smell like peaches.  (that means don't go out and buy peaches right now in March to try this recipe; they don't smell or taste the way peaches are designed to smell/taste)  I'm not sure if it would taste the same with canned peaches.  If you try it, let me know.

Here's the recipe:

Peach Cobbler

6 Tbsp butter

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Cup milk

4 cups fresh peach slices

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Ground cinnamon

1.  Melt butter in bottom of greased casserole dish. (I used my Corning Ware Large Oval)

2. Mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

3. Add milk to dry ingredients and stir to combine.

4. Pour batter over melted butter in casserole dish.

For the filling:

1. In a saucepan, mix together peaches, sugar, and lemon juice.

2. Bring to a boil until thickened.

3. Pour over batter and butter mixture. 

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes at 375 until slightly brown and cooked through.

During baking, the batter rises to the top forming a beautiful topping.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

You can use frozen peaches, but the peaches will lose a bit of their texture during baking.