Best-Ever Skillet Peach Cobbler
This Skillet Peach Cobbler recipe is the best summer dessert, ever! We’ve got perfectly sweet and juicy peaches blended with fragrant spices and more. The entire dessert comes together in a single cast-iron skillet with a cozy topping of cake-like, buttermilk biscuits. It’s the easiest, most decadent treat everyone will love!
We’ve been blessed with the most incredible bounty of peaches in my area as of late. I got a whole carton of them at the farmer’s market this past weekend and ate two of dem thangs on the car ride home, ha. And I also had to make a batch of my peach sweet tea because, well, it’s too good. Before we move into the fall season, I just can’t do so without showing one of my favorite desserts some deep love. Y’all, peach cobbler, this skillet peach cobbler, is incredible!
Skillet Peach Cobbler!! 🍑
Now let’s jump full throttle right into this dessert, mmhmm. First, one of the things that I love about peach cobbler is how adaptable it is. For example, you may find some variations calling for a biscuit topping, crumble topping, and even some in pie form; with a fancy lattice pie crust and all! Real talk, I find that how one prepares their peach cobbler is more of a regional/preference thing. Listen, I dig ’em all tbh, but I’m really obsessed with this one right here!…
My favorite way to make peach cobbler is in a good old-fashioned cast-iron skillet with a delectable fluffy biscuit topping, yessir. This skillet peach cobbler is unbelievably good, super easy to make, and the perfect, shareable dessert for any occasion/celebration. Plus, you can make this treat no matter the season!
Furthermore, if you go to any soul food establishment, you will almost surely find peach cobbler on the menu. This is a dessert that embodies the American South; and more specifically, both Southern and Black culture. It’s way more than just a dessert particularly in the Black community as it’s a symbol of tradition, community, and resilience. The more you know…
Did you know that cobblers in general were a go-to in the arsenal of enslaved cooks in the antebellum South? Culinary history as it relates to peach cobbler shows us that preserved or canned peaches were used over an open fire in iron pots. Biscuit dough and scraps were then added on top before baking. Peach cobbler has big-time cultural significance and I love that fact so much ♡.
Ingredients Needed For This Peach Cobbler:
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)
- Sliced peaches: I use frozen peaches for this skillet peach cobbler recipe.
- Butter: For the peach filling and the buttery biscuit topping, yum.
- Brown sugar: It’s in the filling, love the touch of deep molasses richness.
- Vanilla essence: Use either vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and a pinch of salt…chef’s kiss.
- Cornstarch: We’ll make a slurry to help thicken the filling.
- Self-rising flour: For the topping, self-rising flour has leavening built in.
- Cornmeal: A touch of cornmeal in the biscuit topping, next level flavor.
- Granulated sugar: Just a little to add some sweetness to the topping.
- Buttermilk: The biscuit topping is so tender because of this clutch ingredient.
How To Make This Skillet Peach Cobbler Recipe:
(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)
- In a large cast-iron skillet, cook down the peaches until juices are released.
- Add the butter, once melted, add spices and continue cooking.
- Stir in the slurry as a thickening agent to thicken the peach sauce.
- Make the biscuit topping and dollop the batter over the peach filling.
- Bake the peach cobbler until the biscuit topping is golden brown.
- Serve up this skillet peach cobbler while warm with vanilla ice cream!
⇢ The peach filling is very much a winner, y’all. It oozes with slices of tender, sweet peaches bathed in a rich sauce full of flavor. I’m telling you, the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom go so hard in the filling because that aromatic + deeply fragrant note is everythinggg, whew.
And don’t you even get me started on the biscuit topping, my lawddd. You know, the biscuit topping has a cake-like, tender texture that’s so scrumptious and sops up the saucy peach filling magic, goodness gracious 🤤!
Can I Use Fresh Peaches?
This one is completely up to you! However, it can be difficult to find good, fresh peaches outside of peach season which makes frozen ones a perfect option to use year-round. Here’s the thing, frozen peaches are typically harvested and preserved at peak ripeness. I prefer using frozen peaches as their behavior, to me, holds up better than fresh for this specific recipe. While sautéing fresh peaches, sometimes they can break apart and turn mushy.
Plus, most frozen peaches already come peeled if you prefer your peaches peeled. That’s just my two cents, you do whatever floats your boat here!
What About Canned Peaches?
Canned peaches come packed in either a light or heavy syrup and with this recipe, we will be developing a syrup. Therefore, I do not suggest buying canned peaches for this recipe. However, if you only have access to canned peaches, just be sure to drain all the liquid first.
Can I Make This In A Baking Dish?
Yes! I call this a skillet peach cobbler because this dish starts out being cooked via the stovetop in a skillet and then transferred into the oven to finish. This is great for simplicity and reduces the need for multiple dishes. Alternatively, you can transfer the peach filling into a large baking dish, like a good ole 9×13-inch or any similar oven-safe vessel.
How To Serve This Peach Cobbler
This skillet peach cobbler is best served nice and warm right outta the oven! For ultimate dessert indulgence; pair this cobbler with scoops of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and garnish with fresh mint leaves if you’re feeling it! 😏
This Skillet Peach Cobbler is so easy to make, damn good, and the perfect dessert to share along with your peeps! Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾
More desserts you can’t miss:
- The Best Carrot Cake, Ever
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Peanut Butter Banana Cake
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
*This post was originally published on 7/30/2020 and updated as of 8/7/2024.
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Best-Ever Skillet Peach Cobbler
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Desserts & Sweets
- Method: Baking, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Southern
Description
This Skillet Peach Cobbler recipe is the best summer dessert, ever! We’ve got perfectly sweet and juicy peaches blended with fragrant spices and more. The entire dessert comes together in a single cast-iron skillet with a cozy topping of cake-like, buttermilk biscuits. It’s the easiest, most decadent treat everyone will love!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 lbs sliced frozen peaches (no need to thaw)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (extract or paste)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, for slurry
- Vanilla ice cream for serving & fresh mint leaves, for garnish- optional
For the biscuit topping:
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- ½ cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
Instructions
For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large cast-iron skillet (at least 10 inches or larger), add the peaches and place over medium heat. Let the peaches cook/thaw out, tossing them every so often, until they begin to soften and release their juices, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the cubed butter into the skillet and continue cooking, stirring often, until the butter has melted, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the brown sugar, vanilla essence, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Stir all ingredients well to fully combine and continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved and the peach mixture takes on a saucy/syrupy consistency, about 3-4 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water, and mix well creating a slurry (thickening agent). Pour the slurry mixture into the skillet and toss well to combine with the peach filling. Once well combined, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside while you prepare the biscuit topping.
For the biscuit topping:
- In a medium bowl: combine the flour, cornmeal, and sugar and whisk the dry ingredients well to combine. Then pour in the buttermilk and melted butter and stir until fully combined, the biscuit batter mixture will be somewhat thick. Take a large spoon or medium ice cream scoop to dollop/drop the biscuit batter all over the surface of the skillet peach filling.
- Place the skillet on top of a large baking sheet (just in case the cobbler bubbles over); then place the skillet into the oven to bake at 400°F for 30 minutes- or until the biscuit topping is golden brown and the cobbler edges are nice and bubbly.
- When done baking, let the cobbler cool for 10 minutes. Then serve the peach cobbler while warm with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream and fresh mint leaves as garnish, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.
Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready
Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin
4 Comments on “Best-Ever Skillet Peach Cobbler”
You will be dreaming of this cobbler for days after you try it. The cornmeal adds a really great texture. 5 stars. Highly recommend. Will be making this again!
Hey Heidy! Love to hear this feedback, so glad you loved this cobbler as well 🙂
Every year my mom lets us pick what she’ll make for a dessert for our birthdays, and this was my pick this year. Wow was it delicious!! No regrets on picking peach cobbler over cake.
I made this for thanksgiving and it was a solid hit!!! It was a fun and easy recipe and my house smelled yummy. I am going to make individual cobblers for me!!!