Cornbread Peach Cobbler ~ Barley & Sage

Name: Cornbread Peach Cobbler
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 6 cups peaches (diced (about 10 large peaches)); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons water; 2/3 cup all purpose flour; 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal (fine or medium ground); 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted); 1/2 cup honey; 1/3 cup whole milk; 1 large egg

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This cornbread peach cobbler is a fun twist on the classic! With fresh peaches and a fluffy cornbread topping, it's the perfect southern, summer dessert!

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Cobbler vs Crisp vs Crumble vs Buckle
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Cornbread Cobbler
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Cobbler Serving Tips
Recipe FAQ's
Tips for Success!
More Recipes You Might Like!
Recipe Card
Comments

Cobbler vs Crisp vs Crumble vs Buckle

So what exactly is a cobbler??

Crisps, crumbles, cobblers, and buckles are all very similar but do technically have a few differences. They're all a variation of baked fruit with some kind of topping.

Crisp - a light topping made with oats that gets super crisp during baking (hence the name).
Crumble - typically has a streusel topping that gets more cakey during baking.
Cobbler - usually has a sweet biscuit topping but can also have a cake like batter poured over top. You can also use pie dough for the topping.
Buckle - a buckle is more like a type of cake. It has a cake-like batter with a lot of fruit mixed in so it gives a "buckled" appearance.

This cornbread peach cobbler is a fun twist on the classic cobbler topping. Instead of a typical cake like batter, I use a sweet honey cornbread! It pairs beautifully with the spiced peaches.

You might also like this mixed berry cobbler or this cherry cobbler!

Ingredient Notes

You just need a few simple ingredients to make this summer peach cobbler with cornbread topping!

Peaches - I always use fresh peaches if I can find them, but frozen peaches work great too! You need about 6 cups of diced peaches which is roughly 3 pounds or 10 large peaches.

Lemon Juice - Adding a little lemon juice helps balance the sweetness of the peaches, but you can leave it out. If you have fresh lemon, you should also add a few teaspoons of lemon zest!

Cornstarch - I use cornstarch to help thicken the filling, but you can also substitute flour or clear jel. This is a great guide for making those substitutions!

Flour - A mix of flour and cornmeal yields a cornbread topping that's light and fluffy but still has a classic corn flavor! All purpose flour works best for this cornbread topping.

Cornmeal - There are several different types of cornmeal (this is a great article that breaks it down) but for this cornbread cobbler I recommend using either fine or medium ground yellow cornmeal. You should be able to find it next to the flour in the baking aisle! [Do NOT use self-rising cornmeal for this recipe.]

Honey - Just a little bit of honey adds the right amount of sweetness to the cornbread topping. Opt for a runnier variety of honey so that it mixes into the batter more easily.

The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.

How to Make Cornbread Cobbler

The secret to perfect peach cobbler is pre-cooking the filling before baking. I've found that in some pies and cobblers, you end up with a soupy filling because the filling wasn't able to cook properly first. This is also helpful if you want to prep the cobbler ahead of time! Just cook the filling in advance and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. Then just whip up the cornbread topping right before baking!

Add the fresh or frozen peaches to a large nonstick pot over medium heat. Add in the sugar, butter, lemon juice, and cinnamon and stir to combine.

Cook gently over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the peaches soften.

Mix together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry and then slowly add to the peaches until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey. Then whisk in the milk and egg until fully combined and smooth.

melted butter and honey whisked together.

adding milk and egg to cornbread mixture.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.

Pour the peach filling into a baking dish. Then pour the cornbread batter over top and smooth into an even layer.

Bake at 375°F for 30-40 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.

Serve the cornbread peach cobbler warm with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream!

Tips for the Best Baked Goods

Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.

Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]

Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.

Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!

Cobbler Serving Tips

I usually use a deep pie dish or medium sized ceramic baking dish to serve this cornbread peach cobbler, but you could also use a medium sized cast iron pan or oven-safe skillet!

If you want to make a bunch of cobbler, double the recipe and use a 9x13 inch baking dish!

Recipe FAQ's

How to store cornbread peach cobbler?

This cornbread cobbler is best eaten the same day but will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat in the microwave or oven if desired.

Should I peel the peaches first?

Up to you! I prefer peeling the peaches but you can leave the peels on if you don't mind the texture.

Can I use frozen peaches?

Absolutely! I love using fresh peaches during the summer, but frozen peaches work well too!

peach cobbler with fluffy cornbread topping.

Tips for Success!

For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!

Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.

A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.