Saturday, July 31, 2010

Magic Peach Cobbler

I am fascinated by oddball recipes that seem to work like magic. One of my favorite recipes for soup involves pouring boiling water over all the ingredients. So when I ran across Magic Peach Cobbler, I had to try it. I found variations on this recipe in Amish cooking, and lots of people claim a variation as their grandmother's favorite peach cobbler. Whatever the roots, it appears it has been around for a long time.


What makes it magic? You pour boiling water over the whole thing and via the magic of baking, it comes out as cobbler! The water magically transforms the dough and the peaches into exactly what they should be. It even leaves a little crunchy sugar on the top. Grandmas knew what was good! And if you're looking for an excuse to make Peach Cobbler -- National Peach month starts tomorrow!


I'm sure it has been mentioned here before, but it makes life so much easier that I'll say it again. Put on a pot of boiling water and slide your peaches in it for a couple of minutes to make peeling them soooo easy. You'll be amazed by how easily the peel slides off.



Magic Peach Cobbler



6-7 fresh peaches
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup boiling water

Lightly oil a 9 inch square baking tin and preheat over to 350.

Peel and slice the peaches. Sprinkle with lemon juice and turn once or twice.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the nutmeg, baking powder, and salt and beat well. Add the flour and beat. Add the vanilla and mix. The dough will be crumbly.

Mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup light brown sugar. Boil water.

Pour half the peaches into the baking pan. Crumble half the dough over top of them. Add the remaining peaches, and crumble the rest of the dough over top. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Pour the boiling water over the whole thing.

Bake at 350 for one hour.




Enjoy!

17 comments:

  1. This looks yummy. Peach cobbler is a favorite of mine but I've never tried making it. It just looked like a difficult recipe. You've made it quick and simple for me. Thanks.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

    ReplyDelete
  2. Krista, this looks wonderful! I like the ease of the layers of fruit and dough. And the peaches are just *fantastic* right now....in fact, I'm about to run to the farmer's market before all the good stuff is taken! Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Krista, THANK YOU! This is my families favorite desert with ice cream. I have never made it all home made. I do the crust, but then get canned peaches. My dad just gave me a sack of peaches last night so this works out great.
    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've got to give this one a try. It seems a lot easier than most recipes. And sounds delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, does this sound delicious!! It was pouring here this morning, so we haven't gotten out to the farmer's market yet, but if we do, peaches are on my list! Love the pictures, and thanks for the peeling-peaches tip!

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  6. OH that looks amazing. Can't wait to try this one. I'm sure it's going to be as big a hit at our house as your outstanding Summertime Cherry Strudel recipe -- and if anyone missed that delicious post of Krista's, they should CLICK HERE to get it. I made that one two times in four days, and I predict the same for Magic Peach Cobbler. There are mountains of fresh peaches at our Queens green grocers so this recipe is absolutely perfect market timing. :)

    BTW - The miserable heat and humidity in NYC has finally backed off and we have a really beautiful day. Thank goodness. I hope everyone enjoys their Saturday.

    Cheers,
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mason, this is really very simple. The hardest part is slicing the peaches. No kidding!

    Perfect, Babs. I bet you have all the other ingredients on hand.

    Elizabeth and Julie, I hope you find wonderful peaches at your farmer's markets. I love shopping at farmer's markets. Everything is so fresh!

    Bookwoman, it's surprisingly easy. Strange how the water makes everything into what it's supposed to be.

    Cleo, I'm delighted that you enjoyed the cherry strudel so much! Hope you like this as well!

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am making this tonight! I adore peaches!!!! Thank you, Krista, for a simple recipe. Yum!

    Does Sophie come up with all these things or is it really you? Clever.

    ~Avery

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's Sophie all the way! : ) I have to taste her recipes, though, so Sophie and I share the need for elastic waistbands.

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my goodness this sounds soooo good! I am definitely going to try it. Thanks for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Definitely going to try this. I love Peach Cobbler, and I have a bunch of peaches from the Farmers' Market. So easy...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yum!! Peaches are still in season in Texas, too ... can't wait to give this a try (with vanilla bean ice cream, of course).

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm going to have to try this with my gluten-free all-purpose flour. I love peaches!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Have you ever tried doubling the recipe? I need to feed 8 people for dessert and don't think the 8 inch pan will be enough. Was considering doubling and doing in a 9 x 13. Any thought? Thanks, this looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I made the cobbler tonight and it turned out wonderful!!! Seemed weird to put water on it but it turned out the way it was supposed too. Note that the directions are wrong. In the list of ingredients it says baking powder but in the instructions... it says baking soda. DON'T USE BAKING SODA...IT WILL RUIN IT.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Leslie, I have not tried doubling the recipe. If you try it, let us know how it works out.

    I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, Clever Senora! Thanks for catching that typo! How easy it is to miss a mistake like that. Thanks again!

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete