Easy Summer Peach Cobbler

Okay, real talk. There is a stretch of summer in Kansas City where the peaches at the market get so ripe and so good that I cannot walk past them without buying way more than one family could reasonably eat. Then I get home, look at the giant bag, and remember that the only correct answer to too many peaches is cobbler.

This is the one I make on repeat. It comes together in one bowl for the topping, no fancy lattice, no pie crust stress. The butter bubbles up around the edges, the top goes golden and a little crisp, and the middle stays soft and almost pudding like. It tastes like the kind of thing someone’s grandma made, which is the highest compliment I know how to give a dessert.

Heads up, a couple of the links below are affiliate links, which just means if you grab something I get a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Only stuff I actually use made the cut.

Why you will love it

It is genuinely a dump and bake situation. You melt butter in the pan, pour batter over it, spoon peaches on top, and the oven does the rest. As it bakes, the batter rises up and around the fruit, so you get these crispy buttery edges and a soft cakey center without doing anything clever.

It also feeds a crowd, which makes it my go to for cookouts and lazy Sunday porch nights. And honestly, it is forgiving. A little extra peach, a little less sugar, slightly underripe fruit, it all still works out delicious.

What you will need

The star is fresh summer peaches. Look for ones that smell like peaches and give just slightly when you press near the stem. If yours are rock hard, give them a day or two on the counter. Everything else is pantry basics: flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, vanilla, a little cinnamon, lemon juice, and a stick of butter.

A few tools make it easier. I bake this in a 9×13 ceramic baking dish because it browns evenly and looks pretty enough to set right on the table. A good Y peeler takes the dread out of peeling, and you absolutely need a sturdy ice cream scoop for the vanilla on top, which is not technically optional in my house.

How to make it

The short version: melt your butter right in the baking dish, mix up a quick one bowl batter and pour it over the butter without stirring, then spoon your sugared peaches over the top and let it bake until golden and bubbling. The full ingredient list with exact amounts and the step by step instructions are in the recipe card below, so you can print it or jump straight to it.

Easy Summer Peach Cobbler

A buttery, golden peach cobbler made with fresh summer peaches and a cake-like topping that bakes up crisp on the edges and soft in the middle. The kind of dessert that disappears before it cools.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the peaches

• 6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced about 6 to 8 medium peaches
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

For the topping

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 stick

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the melted butter into a 9×13 inch baking dish and tilt to coat the bottom.
2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced peaches with the half cup sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cornstarch until evenly coated. Set aside while you make the topping.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, one cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla just until combined. The batter will be a little lumpy and that is fine.
4. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish. Do not stir. Spoon the peaches and their juices evenly over the batter, again without stirring.
5. Bake for 42 to 48 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. The batter rises up and around the fruit as it bakes.
6. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes so it sets up a bit. Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to four days. Warm a serving in the microwave for about 20 seconds before eating. To make ahead, slice the peaches and toss them with sugar and lemon up to a day in advance, then keep them chilled until you are ready to bake.

Tips, swaps, and make ahead

No fresh peaches? Frozen work great, no need to thaw, just add a few extra minutes in the oven. Canned peaches work in a pinch too, drain them well and cut back the sugar a touch since they are already sweet.

Want to stretch it? Throw in a cup of blueberries or blackberries with the peaches. The berries go jammy and the color is gorgeous. You can also slice the peaches and toss them with the sugar and lemon a day ahead, then keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake, which makes this an easy thing to half prep before company comes.

Quick recipe details

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Storage: Cover and keep at room temperature up to 2 days, or in the fridge up to 4 days. Warm it for about 20 seconds in the microwave before serving so it tastes fresh out of the oven again.

The takeaway

This cobbler is the easiest possible way to turn a counter full of summer peaches into something everyone fights over the last scoop of. Make it once and I bet it becomes your default summer dessert too. If you try it, come back and tell me how it went, and tell me if you went the ice cream route, because that is the only acceptable answer. Drop it in the comments, my porch always has room for one more.

So glad you are here.
xo, Pam