How to Make Peach Cobbler From Scratch

Amanda KippertUpdated: Oct. 27, 2023

The first step? You have to choose perfect peaches.

The cobbler is a delicious treat that melds together sliced fruit, sugar and a beautiful golden topping. If you love dessert but don’t love the floury mess or mathematical challenge of rolling out perfectly concentric pie crusts, then this tutorial on how to make peach cobbler will be your jam.

Choosing the Perfect Peach

For this cobbler recipe, below, you’ll want to wait for fresh peaches. How can you tell if they’re ready to be plucked—either from a tree in your own personal orchard or from the grocery store bins? Look for three indicators of freshness, courtesy of Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood, Calif.:

Color. A deep, golden yellow that’s hiding behind the red of the peach.
Touch. You’re looking for soft to very soft if you want to use the peach right away.
Skin Texture. Look for wrinkles of peach skin around the stem, indicating that water is leaving the peach, intensifying its flavor.

Let’s get on to the recipe!

How to Make Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

6-8 large, ripe peaches
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
3/4-1 cup sugar

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 large egg whites, room temperature, stiffly beaten

(Did you know that peach cobbler was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite foods?)

Step 1: Peel and Slice Your Peaches

If this is your first time tackling cobbler, you’re going to be a little bit surprised by how diva-ish peaches are. Firstly, they come with a pit. You need to get rid of the pit. Prior to peeling your peaches, which will make them far too slippery to handle, slice around the peach lengthwise and grasp each half of the peach, twisting to separate. Sometimes this works. Sometimes, you squish the peaches like the Incredible Hulk because you followed the above recommendations and got the really soft peaches, which are perfect, until you try to slice them.

If it works, then you can remove the pit and begin to slice and peel (I like to do it in that order). Prepare to be covered in sticky peach juice. Prepare to rue the day you decided to work with fresh peaches. But trust me, it’ll all be worth it. Also, peach cobbler is supposed to be and look messy. If it’s messy, you’ve done it justice! It might help if you take a quick detour and whip up a batch of these sparkling peach Bellinis first.

Step 2: Combine All the Things

First combine the sliced peaches, cornstarch and sugar and pour them into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. (Check out our list of the best casserole dishes—one of these might be your perfect cobbler holder.) Then combine the flour, egg yolks, butter, baking powder and sugar in another bowl. Fold in the egg whites. Spread over the peaches, or plop down mounds of this in biscuit-like shapes, if you’re a stickler for tradition. I preferred to spread it out, accentuating the messy factor. Except I call it “rustic.”

Step 3: Bake Until Bubbly

You probably wanted to preheat your oven a little earlier. If you forgot, do that now. Your cobbler needs to bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until it’s bubbly and your biscuit crust is a nice Pinterest-worthy golden brown.

Optional: Add a Cinnamon Sugar Crumble

Purists may tell you not to mess with perfection, but for those daring to step outside the box, adding a cinnamon sugar crumble will take your peach cobbler to the next level. Combine 1/3 c. sugar, ¼ c. all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Then add 2 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter, using a fork, until it resembles a crumble. Add to the top of your cobbler for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Serve With Your Finest Vanilla Ice Cream

This is a must! You may as well not slow down the sugar train now. Want to expand your cobbler repertoire? Try this Chocolate Cobbler or our Rhubarb Strawberry Cobbler next.

More Vintage Crisps & Cobblers From Grandma's Recipe Box

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Cran-Apple Pecan CrispEven folks who claim not to like cranberries rave about this dish. I cherish the recipe from my mother, who inspired my love of cooking. —Debbie Daly, Florence, Kentucky