Thursday Recipe - Peach Cobbler

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet. Peach cobbler is a tradition at our house. Late summer, right after school is back in session and the peaches are ripe, we'll get ourselves a few big boxes. Our peach tree died a couple of years ago and was replaced by a multi-variety pear tree, but many of our neighbors have peach trees and are more than happy to share the bounty.

Peaches are pretty easy to process for jams and cobbler fillings, if you want to bottle it. We usually make several big cobblers from fresh peaches. Breakfast for several days. Mmmm.

Here's my take on the filling as well as several options for toppings. Pick your favorite or try them all!

Fresh Peach Cobbler

Filling:
12-15 large ripe peaches
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cardamom
3 T. cornstarch

Wash peaches. Boil whole in large pot for 1 minute. This makes them easy to peel. Dump into cold water to cool off. Peel and pit the peaches, then slice them up. Add lemon juice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cornstarch. Stir gently until it's all mixed together.

At this point, you can pack the filling into quart bottles for canning if you want - leave a half-inch headspace at the top. Process for 35-40 minutes, depending on your altitude. The processing will cook the filling so it's ready to use in cobblers later.

For fresh cobbler, spread the filling in a 9x13 baking pan. Prepare the topping and spread over.

Topping, choose one option:

1-
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar

2-
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 small boxes of blueberry muffin mix (I don't know the size, but I use the small pouches/boxes that Jiffy makes)

3-
1/2 c. butter softened
1 dry cake mix - vanilla, spice, lemon, yellow, or white flavor

Mix butter and dry ingredients to make a crumbly mess. Sprinkle/spread over the peach filling.

Bake the cobbler at 350° for 45-60 minutes, until topping is browned and filling is bubbly. Cool at least a couple of minutes before eating.