I do a few things to make a stand-out peach cobbler. The first thing is have patience, because a good cobbler depends on great fruit. Beyond that, I add a couple ingredients for depth and dimension, while still adhering to the ideas that cobblers and (related) crisps should be simple and easy. The opposite of fussy. You want to be able to throw one together on a whim as a sweet treat to share with friends after a night of grilling. Or, as a compliment to a family-style dinner. The good news is our peaches have been wildly delicious this year, so let’s jump into a few cobbler details and considerations.
Choosing Peaches for Peach Cobbler
The best cobblers are made with ripe fruit. The aroma of peaches is the best indicator of ripeness. Go for the peaches that smell the most peachy. The other way to tell is to gently handle the peach you’re considering. The best ones will give to a bit of pressure but aren’t soft all over. Store your peaches at room temperature until perfectly ripe, then you need to eat them (ideal) or move them to a refrigerator and enjoy over the next couple of days.
What Varietal of Peach is Best?
The correct answer is: the best peach cobblers start with peaches that are ripe, fragrant, and delicious.
How to Make Peach Cobbler
To make a cobbler there are a number of steps. You basically make a fruit mixture by tossing your fruit, in this case peaches, along with sugar and a thickener. The other component is the biscuit-like topping. This is dolloped over the fruit in a baking pan and baked until the topping is golden and well set, and the fruit is bubbling.
Special touches: I like to butter the cobbler pan and add lemon zest. It perfumes the whole dessert and provides balance to the sweetness of the peaches. 
Above, you can see the fruit being gently tossed.
This is the topping dough, above. Aim for a tender result by avoiding the temptation to over mix. Minimal handling will result in a more tender dough.
You can see, above, what the cobbler looks like before going into the oven. I’d even argue that your dollops should be a bit smaller than what you see here, to ensure full and even baking.
What to Serve with Peach Cobbler
Peaches and cream is a classic combination for good reason. You could lightly sweeten the cream or coconut milk here, maybe use the tiniest pinch of salt as well. I also like to skip the cream, on occasion, and explore the citrus side of things – in line with the lemon zest and juice in the recipe.
- Gelato
- Drizzle of Cream
- Dollop of loosely whipped cream (classic)
- Drizzle of coconut milk
- Coconut yogurt
- Lime Sherbet
- Grapefruit Sorbet
More Peach Recipes
- Peach Salsa
- Green Bean Salad with Peaches
- Summer Fruit Salad
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