Cobbler is amazing for so many reasons, but my personal favorite one when it comes to this recipe is that it is really just a combination of two of my favorite things: pie and biscuits! The peach and cherry filling takes advantage of summer fruit at its peak, and it gets cooked down into thick, syrupy decadence with just a hint of almond extract to help the cherries really shine. All of this is topped with a moist, slightly sweet drop biscuit that’s almost like a shortcake; it soaks up the fruit juices like a sponge, while the top gets a hit of sweetness and texture from a sprinkling of turbinado sugar. Best of all, this peach and cherry cobbler couldn’t be easier to make, and yet it’s so impressive when it comes out of the oven! When you get a bite with a little bit of each ingredient, the combination of flavors and textures is mouth-watering, with super soft peaches, slightly tart cherries, a tender biscuit, and that almond extract, which will make you reach for seconds!
1. What’s a Drop Biscuit?
A drop biscuit is literally just a biscuit with more liquid added, so that it becomes a wetter dough that you can “drop” – hence the name – from a spoon, rather than cut into biscuits.
2. Fruit Swap!
There aren’t many berries or stone fruits that don’t make excellent cobblers, so whether you have fresh or frozen, you can use absolutely any fruit you want in this recipe!
3. Flavor Options
Cherry and almond are an absolutely classic pairing, but other extracts or spices would be delicious with other fruits. Vanilla is a classic for any filling, bourbon would be delicious with mixed berries, and cinnamon would be perfect for an all-peach cobbler!
Peach and Cherry Cobbler
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
For the Peach and Cherry Filling
- 1 ½ pounds about 4 cups or 6 medium ripe peaches, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks
- 10 ounces about 2 cups sweet cherries, pitted, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch kosher salt
For the Drop Biscuit Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- ½ cup whole milk very cold
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
For the Filling
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a large bowl, add all filling ingredients and fold ingredients together so that the fruit is evenly coated in sugar and cornstarch. Pour mixture into a 3 quart baking dish or skillet.
- Place fruit in oven for 20 minutes to allow fruit to parcook and cornstarch to activate and begin to thicken the juices.
For the Drop Biscuit Topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until evenly combined. Add cubed butter, and use clean hands to tumble butter around so that each cube is well coated in dry ingredients. Next, use hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until butter is roughly pea-sized. Pour milk over top, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together until just combined. Set aside.
- Remove fruit from oven, and use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to dollop the biscuit topping evenly over the crust, leaving some space between so that the fruit is exposed. Sprinkle the biscuit topping with turbinado sugar. Place back in oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until biscuit topping is golden brown, and fruit juices are bubbling and thickened.
- Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Cobbler is best served warm and topped with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
