I will never forget the first time I met a peach cobbler. It was the evening of 4th of July in 1990 something, I was probably 9, it was a very hot day in the backyard of a home in Oklahoma. I remember the backyard vividly, there was a little pond, tall trees, the ground was hilly. It was like being in Martha's Vineyard, not Oklahoma. Back to the peach cobbler. We arrived to the party and I was escorted into the house. The hostess was just putting the large pan of cobbler into the oven and asked me if I like peach cobbler. I was a very shy girl, I likely said nothing in return. She understood my answer was that I had never had one and mentioned that I will love it. I hated that she assumed I would love something, even when I clearly said I had never tried it. Lol, kids, right?
A few hours later, the sun has set, the guys are setting (probably illegal and homemade) fireworks down by the pond, the ladies are chitchatting about who knows what at the picnic tables close to the house. I am, of course, with the ladies, contributing nothing to the conversation because I'm 9 and shy. The hostess runs into the house and quickly returns with helpers carrying the cobbler, bowls, spoons, and cartons of vanilla ice cream. She starts serving, a heaping scoop of cobbler with a scoop of vanilla i.c. She handed me one of the first bowls, so anything that happened after this point I honestly have no recollection of. With my first bite I was quite literally mind blown. It was so warm, perfectly sweet and coupled with the coldest, clearly homemade ice cream. There were crunchy and doughy bites from the biscuit, melty and gooey bites from the peaches. It was all perfect. I told the hostess I loved it, she gave me a second scoop.
Fast forward to 2019, I know for a fact I have not had peach cobbler like that night. It's never been warm enough, sweet enough, perfect enough. Enter, my 4th of July challenge. I plan to *try* to recreate it using this recipe.
I hope you have something you long for and try to recreate this week.
The Recipe
Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream
From the Pantry
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup raw sugar
From the Fridge / Freezer
1/2 cup butter, melted
vanilla ice cream
From the Market
4 large ripe peaches, sliced
Recipe
Makes about 8 servings
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom of 9×13 pan with a little bit of butter. Add peaches and 1/4 cup sugar, and mix directly in the pan.
Mix the butter, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt until a cookie-dough-like batter forms. Place scoops of the mixture over the top of the peaches. Spread with a spoon or with your fingers – no need for perfection here. Bake for 25 minutes. At this point it should be juicy and bubbly around the sides.
Sprinkle the top with raw sugar. Bake another 10 minutes and then finish with a few minutes under the broiler (475-ish) for a few minutes to get it golden brown and slightly crunchy on top.
For the best saucy results, let it stand for 20-30 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of ice cream. And for an even better experience, share with the ones you love under the summer night sky.
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