Peach Blueberry Cobbler

About this recipe

This is a modern take on an old-fashioned peach cobbler recipe, one of those great recipes that appear in vintage cookbooks that stand the test of time.

• Fresh or frozen fruit: you can use both types, so take advantage of peach season when it hits, but also know that you can make it year-round with frozen peach slices and blueberries.
• Easy dessert: it comes together fast and can be made a day or two ahead.
• Dessert for a crowd: it can easily be doubled or tripled, so this is a great recipe for gatherings, picnics, barbecues, and other informal celebrations that involve several hungry people.

Ingredients

• Blueberries: I always use fresh blueberries when available, but I've also made this recipe with frozen ones. They both work very well.
• Peaches. Using fresh peaches is the way to go but use frozen peach slices if not in season. The result is far superior to when you use canned peaches, IMO. Nectarines also work wonderfully.
• Lemon: fresh lemon juice is highly encouraged and not bottled stuff. Lemon zest can be added for more flavor and acidity to balance the sugar and butter.
• Sugar: the recipe uses granulated white sugar for the topping and brown sugar for the fruit filling. You can use only one if that's all you have. Don't go to the grocery store just to buy one of them.
• Milk: whole milk is what I normally use, but buttermilk and reduced-fat work fine.
• Unsalted butter.
• Flour: I use all-purpose or cake flour with good results in both cases.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Baking powder: make sure it's not expired as it helps the batter grow so it's a light texture and not a caked one.

The fruit mixture

Whether you use fresh or frozen fruit, you want the peaches to be ripe but not overly ripe. As they bake, they will soften, and we want them to hold their shape somewhat.

Blueberries: you only need to wash them if fresh and simply dump them onto the baking dish if frozen, straight from the freezer.

How to cut the peaches: I like medium chunks that can be eaten directly and don't need to be cut, especially when eating outdoors when you might not want to use so many utensils.

Mixing the ingredients: you can use a large bowl to mix everything (an extra item to wash later, just saying) and then dump them into the prepared baking dish, or do it directly in the baking pan you're using.

Using cornstarch: I sometimes use it but not always. It will thicken the fruit juices, and I love it with most fruit cobblers, like the fresh pear cobbler or the strawberry cobbler recipe. But for this recipe with mixed fruit, I'm letting the natural juicy blueberries and peaches do their thing. So it's up to you. Use it if you like a thicker, richer sauce and don't if you like a lighter, more summery bite.

How to easily peel peaches

Peeling the peaches for me depends if the peach skin is thin or quite thick, which is not super nice to bite into. Peeling them is very easy:

1. Put the peaches in boiling water and boil for 30 seconds.
2. Immediately place them in a bowl with iced water and leave for 30 seconds.
3. Scrape the skin with your finger and peel down. It will come out easily.
4. Cut the peaches with a knife in half, but it will be halfway because the stone is still inside. From the top, hold one half with each hand and pull outwards. It should open quite easily. Take out the stone.

The biscuit topping

It's a simple dough that involves mixing a few ingredients in a bowl.

• Dry ingredients: include flour, baking powder, salt (known as the flour mixture), and white sugar. Image 1
• Wet ingredients: in this recipe, it's the milk and melted butter. They are added at once to the dry ones. Image 2
• Mixing: use a spoon, rubber spatula, or wire whisk to mix the cobbler batter *just* until combined. Don't beat or overmix.

Assembling the cobbler

It has two steps we discussed before: the peach blueberry filling and the dough layer.

Preparing the baking dish: I don't butter it, but you can. It will add some extra flavor and mix with the juices, usually thickening them just slightly.

The biscuit topping: put it in mounds over the fruit, and you can lightly spread it if you wish. But don't cover the whole layer of fruit. Make sure there's space around them for the fruit juices to bubble up during baking. It's a great way to divide the portions you'll serve later.

Baking a fruit cobbler

TIP #1: make sure the topping mounds have some space around them to let the fruit bake better. You can lightly spread it if you wish. But don't cover the whole layer of fruit. This will help the biscuit bake better because the juices have space to bubble up freely.

When is the cobbler done? The tricky part is ensuring the inside of the biscuit dough is fully cooked. So check by lifting a piece of dough with a fork and checking that it's not still wet inside.

Family style desserts

Cobblers are baked in ceramic or glass dishes and then taken to the table. They are not removed from the pan. Similar to dump cakes.

What type of dish to use 

Choose a nice baking dish you like to showcase on the table.

For me, ceramic ones are the best (I use my favorite Emile Henry small ceramic rectangular dish whenever possible). There are several rectangular ceramic dishes, porcelain bakeware sets, glass baking dishes, or round ceramic baking dish that work.

Also, a cast-iron skillet fits this type of dessert if you like the Southern way.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Make ahead: you can make the cobbler up to two days before, let it cool down completely, and keep it refrigerated well covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
• Pan sizes: the dish size mentioned in the recipe instructions above is good for 6 servings. You can easily double or triple this recipe, make half the recipe or a recipe and a half. Use larger or smaller baking dishes accordingly and adjust to differences in baking times, which should not be considerable if you scale the pan size correctly. 
• Serving a cobbler: you can eat it plain, at room temperature, and slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
• Extra crunch: you can sprinkle an extra tablespoon of sugar on top of the cobbler dough before popping it into the oven.
• Flavoring variations: orange or tangerine is another citrus that works very well in a peach blueberry cobbler recipe. It's not as sharp as lemon, so it will add a little more sweetness. Also, a dash of ground cinnamon and/or a few drops of vanilla extract are a delicious addition to this mixed fruit dessert.
• Other fruits: I love mixing peaches and blueberries, but this wonderful stone fruit also works well with blackberries or cherries.