A gluten free peach cobbler may change your dessert-making life. Peach cobbler is a thing where I grew up in the Deep South. A peach tree grew right outside our kitchen door, and in the early fall, we’d pick warm fuzzy fruit right off the branch to make cobbler. Now I live in Zone 5a, and there’s not a peach tree in a hundred miles. So when I make a cobbler, I use canned peaches, and I don’t care; it’s delicious.
And It’s a Cinch to Make
Requiring just a few ingredients and almost no technique, cobblers are a newbie baker’s best friend. Not only are they very forgiving, you can alter the ingredients to make just about anything into a cobbler. I like to mix in blackberries but to bake a true masterpiece, try peaches and blueberries. It’s an amazing combo that is visually stunning and tastes like a long summer afternoon.
Cobbler is essentially flour, milk, sugar, butter, and fruit. Which fruit is entirely up to you. Using seasonal berries and stone fruit is a smart choice. And once you master this simple recipe (or print it out and tape it to the inside of your kitchen cabinets like I did), you can make any kind of cobbler at the drop of a hat.
But Wait, Can’t We Elevate Our Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler?
Oh yes, we can. Peaches have an interesting flavor profile. The Seattle Times listed flavor attributes for peaches that open up a giant pantry of flavor combos. Besides blackberries and blueberries, peaches pair very nicely with tree nuts, other stone fruits like plums and citrus. But some combos are wackadoodle: cinnamon basil, Mexican tarragon, and ginger—also vanilla, caramel, Grand Marnier, and Bourbon. I want them all, but that might be weird. Still, I can’t just NOT put something into this cobbler.
A Quick Visual Guide for the Pros!
Gluten Free Peach Cobbler
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35-40
- Total Time: 55-60
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Gluten-free peach cobbler is easy and will form the foundation of your new life-long obsession with this vintage one-pan dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 15–oz cans of peaches with no added sugar; half the syrup reserved (approximately 1/2 cup of syrup)*
- 1 stick of butter (8 T), melted
- 1 cup gluten-free flour — we used Bob’s Red Mill, but look at these
- 1/2 t Baking powder
- 1/2 t Xanthan Gum (check your flour label; if it includes Xanthan then you don’t need to add it to this recipe)
- 1/2 t Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- Grated zest of half a lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-1/2 x 13-inch baking pan.
- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and Xanthan gum (if you are using it) together in a medium bowl.
- Add the milk, peach syrup, and Grand Marier and mix lightly.
- Add the melted butter (slightly cooled) and mix until just incorporated.
- Pour batter into the buttered pan.
- Place the peaches evenly on top of the batter BUT DO NOT MIX THEM IN. Arrange the peach slices however you want but resist the urge to stir everything together. Sprinkle the lemon zest over peach slices.
- Bake until the batter rises slightly around the peaches and the crust is golden brown.
- You can use fresh peaches or frozen peaches if you wish. You will need approximately 2 cups. See below for tips on peeling fresh peaches.
Notes
Alternates:
- Substitute Bourbon or Kirtsch for the Grand Marnier
- Add a SINGLE drop of vanilla
- Drizzle with maple syrup
- Pour caramel over the peaches before you bake
- Add any other fruit
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: southern
Keywords: peach cobbler, southern, dessert, fruit dessert
How to Peel a Peach
© Photos/ iStock
