Pioneer Woman peach cobbler from The Pioneer Woman site tops 3 1/2 pounds of fresh peaches with a dropped biscuit dough baked at 375°F. And the cobbler serves 8 to 10 at approximately 310 calories per serving in about 1 hour and 25 minutes, since the fruit bubbles for nearly 50 of those.
Instead of a cake-like batter poured over the fruit, this version uses a cut-butter biscuit dough dropped by the spoonful onto the peaches. So the topping bakes into golden cobblestone mounds with crispy edges, which gives each serving more texture than a smooth cake top would.
Whisking the cornstarch into the sugar before adding it to the peaches is the step that keeps the filling thick. And if you toss cornstarch directly onto wet fruit, it clumps into white pockets that never dissolve, so the juices run thin around the biscuits.
Source: The Pioneer Woman (thepioneerwoman.com)
Pioneer Woman Peach Cobbler
Course: DessertsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy10
servings25
minutes50
minutes310
kcalSliced peaches toss with a cornstarch-sugar mixture and lemon juice before filling a buttered 9×13 dish. Then small scoops of biscuit dough land on top, coarse sugar sprinkles over everything, and 45 to 50 minutes at 375°F turns it golden and bubbly.
Ingredients
- For the fruit:
Salted butter, for the baking dish
3 1/2 lbs. fresh peaches
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
- For the topping:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup salted butter, diced
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon coarse sugar, like sugar in the raw
- For serving:
Vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream
Directions
- Preheat and prep the dish: Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Slice the peaches: Then cut the peaches and remove the pits, placing them in a large bowl.
- Mix the dry filling: In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until no lumps of cornstarch remain.
- Make the biscuit topping: Then in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and baking powder together.
- Cut in the butter: Once whisked, add the diced butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingers until pea-sized clumps form.
- Add the milk: Then pour in the whole milk and stir with a fork until just combined.
. - Toss the peaches: Once the topping is ready, add the sugar-cornstarch mixture and lemon juice to the peaches and stir gently.
- Fill the dish: Then pour the peaches into the prepared baking dish.
- Drop the topping: Using a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, drop small portions of dough onto the fruit surface.
- Add the coarse sugar: Then sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the dough.
- Bake the cobbler: Once topped, bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles.
- Watch for browning: If the topping starts to darken too fast, tent loosely with foil for the remaining time.
- Rest and serve: Then let the cobbler rest 15 minutes before serving warm with ice cream or whipped cream
FAQs
Do I have to peel the peaches first?
The source page says peeling is optional, because the skins soften in the oven during the long bake. And leaving the skins on saves time and adds a slight chew to the fruit layer.
But if you prefer a smoother filling, blanch the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds and then dunk them in ice water. Since the heat loosens the skins, they slide right off with your fingers after the ice bath.
Can I use frozen peaches instead of fresh?
Frozen peaches work when fresh ones are out of season, and you do not need to thaw them before tossing with the sugar mixture. But frozen fruit releases more liquid during baking, so add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to keep the filling from turning soupy.
And spread the frozen slices in the dish straight from the bag, because thawing them first creates a pool of juice at the bottom. Since the extra moisture dilutes the lemon and sugar, that additional cornstarch compensates for the watery base.
Why does the topping need to be dropped in small scoops?
Small mounds of dough spread as they bake and create a cobblestone pattern with crispy peaks and soft centers. And one large sheet of dough would steam the fruit underneath instead of letting the juices bubble up around the edges.
So use a small ice cream scoop for even portions, because matched sizes bake at the same rate. And leave gaps between each scoop, since the dough expands and the open spots let steam escape so the filling thickens properly.
What other fruit can I use in this cobbler?
The source page mentions fresh plums as a direct swap, and mixed berries also work well since they release a similar amount of juice. But stone fruit like nectarines or apricots are the closest match, because they hold their shape the same way peaches do during baking.
For a fall version, try this same biscuit topping over the apple filling from a pie recipe like the pioneer woman pecan pie, since the dropped dough works on any fruit base. And adjust the sugar down by a couple tablespoons for sweeter fruit like mangoes, because the cornstarch thickens regardless of how much sugar you add.
How should I store leftovers and can I reheat this?
Cover the dish with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days, since the egg-free biscuit topping holds up better chilled than pastry does. And the fruit filling actually firms up overnight as the cornstarch continues to set.
To reheat, warm individual portions at 350°F for about 10 minutes so the topping crisps back up. And avoid the microwave, because it steams the biscuit layer soft, the same issue you run into reheating the ketchup-glazed top on the pioneer woman cheeseburger meatloaf.
