peach cobbler with buttermilk biscuit topping

prep: 20 MINUTES | bake: 45 TO 50 MINUTES | total: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES | serves 10 TO 12

I make this cobbler every summer when Utah peaches are in season. Utah has the best peaches (sorry, Georgia!) so, without fail, we come home from the farmers market with waaaaay too many. It’s a pretty familiar story for us—Josh is a little too good at loading up on fruit. At least it’s not Cheetos or doughnuts, but we still need to figure out how to put all that fresh produce to good use. Enter the cobbler. It pops up a lot in our kitchen because you basically just dump the fruit in a pan (pretty much any fruit will work), top with an easy biscuit-like topping, and bake. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream for dessert, and then break it out again for breakfast. It’s totally acceptable. The cobbler can also be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days if you want to make it ahead. Just reheat in the oven or microwave.

PEACH FILLING

8 peaches, pitted, peeled, and sliced (6 cups)

⅓ cup granulated sugar

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT TOPPING

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk, cold

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heavy cream or whole milk, for brushing

Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

1 Make the filling: Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest and rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Add the lemon sugar to the peaches along with the brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Gently stir until the peaches are well coated. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the topping.

2 Make the biscuit topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks, or by using clean hands and pinching the butter between your forefinger and thumb. Mix until the butter pieces are pea-sized.

3 In a medium bowl, whisk together the cold buttermilk and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until the dough just comes together. It will be sticky; don’t overmix.

4 Preheat the oven to 375°F.

5 Assemble the cobbler: Pour the peach mixture into a 9 × 13-inch pan. Drop pieces of the biscuit topping on top of the peaches—it is fine if there is space between the dollops. Lightly brush the topping with the cream and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.

6 Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the peaches are bubbling. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream, if desired.