Peach Cobbler

We spent another lovely evening at the lake with Aaron's sister-in-law, celebrating her birthday.

I think Bailey enjoyed it more this time than last.  She got sprayed with the hose and played with gravel.

Her favorite thing was throwing rocks in the water.

I always ask when we have family get-togethers if I should bring anything.  With Dad's family the answer is always bread.  With Mom's family they always say Bailey... like I could ever forget her.  With Aaron's family I'm usually expected to make dessert.  Last time I made Blackberry Cobbler and Peach Cobbler and I have been asked again to bring cobbler.  This time I let Shelia choose which kind of cobbler to bring since it's her birthday, and she chose peach!

I realized that I didn't get to share this one with you last time.  By the time I got around to taking any pictures more than half of the cobbler was gone and what was left had been divided into containers as leftovers.  I actually didn't get to taste it until we got home with the leftovers.  This time I remembered to photograph the whole process, and I got a few cute ones of Bailey at the lake along with it.

This is basically the same recipe as the blackberry cobbler.  I have tried a couple of different cobbler toppings and this is by far my favorite.  I adapted the blackberry cobbler recipe to work with peaches, so the topping is exactly the same, but the sugar mixed with the peaches had to be cut back because peaches just aren't as tart as blackberries.  It creates a not too sweet, not too rich flavor and uses frozen peaches so this can be made even when peaches aren't in season.  Since I'm terrible at picking out peaches at the farmer's market that is a very good thing.

Peach Cobbler

For the peaches:
5-6 cups peaches, frozen or fresh, sliced (if using frozen peaches they should be thawed in the fridge overnight)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt

For the topping:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

Gently toss the peaches and sugar together in a large bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes, tossing again every 10 minutes or so.

Place a colander over a bowl and pour the peaches into the colander to drain.

Whisk together 1/4 cup of the juice from the peaches, the cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl.  Return the peaches, juice, and cornstarch mixture to the bowl and toss together.

Pour the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, 1 Tbsp of the sugar, the salt, and the baking powder and stir to combine.  Add the vegetable shortening and butter and work into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender...

...until it looks like coarse crumbs.  In a liquid measuring cup combine the egg and milk and mix well with a fork.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir gently with a fork until just combined.

Take small bits of the dough and flatten with your hands and layer the top of the peaches with them.  Once the peaches are covered sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp of sugar over the dough.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let cool about 20-30 minutes before serving.  Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired.