Peach Cobbler (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 7, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 8
Sugar
31 grams (down from 43)
Ingredients
Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces5 pounds (2.27 kilograms) peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and sliced into ½-inch wedges (10 cups)1 teaspoon grated orange zest plus 2 tablespoons juice1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon water 1½ teaspoons cornstarchTopping
⅓ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) Sucanat 1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup buttermilk 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled1 teaspoon vanilla extractBefore You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Although we prefer the flavor of fresh peaches here, you can substitute 4 pounds of thawed frozen peaches. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 3 or the biscuits will be tough and speckled.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 cups peaches, orange zest and juice, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, cover, and cook until peaches begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated and peaches begin to caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes. Add remaining 4 cups peaches and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Whisk water and cornstarch together in small bowl, then stir mixture into peaches. Cover skillet and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Whisk ground Sucanat, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl whisk buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla together. Using rubber spatula, stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
- Using spoon, scoop out and drop 1-inch pieces of dough onto filling, spaced about ½ inch apart. Bake until filling is bubbling and thickened and topping is golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cobbler cool for 20 minutes before serving.
for the filling
for the topping
Time
1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 8Sugar
31 grams (down from 43)Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Peach cobbler's greatest asset—an abundance of fresh, ripe peaches—can also be its biggest liability. The peach juice can turn the filling watery and the biscuits soggy; plus, the filling is often too sweet. We wanted a recipe for a low-sugar peach cobbler that lived up to its full potential. To create a pleasantly thick filling, we cooked peeled, sliced peaches on the stovetop—first covered so they would release their juices and then uncovered so that the excess moisture could evaporate. Allowing the peaches to lightly caramelize concentrated their flavor and sweetness; the generous amount of peaches offered 23 grams of sugar per serving and tasted plenty sweet even without any added sugar. For balanced fruit flavor and a texture that wasn't overly mushy, we reserved a portion of the peaches to stir in just before baking. For the buttermilk biscuit topping, we created a light and airy dough using both baking soda and baking powder. Cinnamon gave the biscuits a rounded flavor and made them less pale. To keep things simple, we used a spoon to dollop the dough across the top of the peaches and then put the whole skillet in the oven. Our lightly browned and tender biscuits perfectly complemented our sweet and just-juicy-enough peach filling.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. Although we prefer the flavor of fresh peaches here, you can substitute 4 pounds of thawed frozen peaches. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 3 or the biscuits will be tough and speckled.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 cups peaches, orange zest and juice, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, cover, and cook until peaches begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated and peaches begin to caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes. Add remaining 4 cups peaches and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Whisk water and cornstarch together in small bowl, then stir mixture into peaches. Cover skillet and remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Whisk ground Sucanat, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl whisk buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla together. Using rubber spatula, stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
- Using spoon, scoop out and drop 1-inch pieces of dough onto filling, spaced about ½ inch apart. Bake until filling is bubbling and thickened and topping is golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cobbler cool for 20 minutes before serving.
for the filling
for the topping
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