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Brown Butter Peach Cobbler

4.8

(58)

A glass casserole dish filled with a baked battertopped peach cobbler set on a picnic table.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado

In the heart of summer, fresh, juicy peaches require no accompaniment—but adding a cake batter, pastry crust, or biscuits to make a homemade peach cobbler is undoubtedly welcome. The definition of cobbler can encompass any one or more of the three toppings depending upon whom you ask.

This easy peach cobbler recipe comes from Ben Bynum, co-owner of Philadelphia restaurants Warmdaddy’s, Relish, and South Jazz Kitchen, and falls into the batter camp. First, he pours browned melted butter on the bottom of the baking dish before adding his batter one ladleful at a time to create a ripple effect that, when baked, yields crunchy constellations of caramelized bits interrupted by warm sliced peaches. Using canned or frozen peaches can provide some convenience in preparing this summer dessert recipe, but Bynum opts to macerate fresh peaches in cinnamon, brown sugar, and mace for a summery flavor that can’t be beat. That peach filling is spooned on top of the batter, which puffs up around the fruit into a cake-like texture with a crisp top and gooey base. 

Serve this fresh peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, freshly whipped cream, or a drizzle of plain yogurt for a delicious ending to a barbecue dinner.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour 20 minutes

  • Yield

    8–10 Servings

Ingredients

5

peaches (about 1½ lb.)

2

Tbsp. dark brown sugar

1

tsp. ground cinnamon

½

tsp. ground mace

2

cups (400 g) granulated sugar, divided

1

cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2

cups (250 g) all-purpose flour

1

Tbsp. baking powder

1

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

2

cups whole milk

1

Tbsp. vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Peel skins from 2 peaches. Halve and remove pits from all of the peaches. Slice ¼" thick. Transfer to a large bowl; add brown sugar, cinnamon, mace, and ¼ cup granulated sugar and toss to combine. Let sit while you prepare the topping (at least 20 minutes).

    Step 2

    Cook butter in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–7 minutes. Pour brown butter into a 13x9" baking dish. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1¾ cups sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk and vanilla, then pour batter into baking dish by the ladleful so butter swirls and mixes into batter. Top with peaches.

    Step 3

    Bake cobbler until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly before serving.

    Editor's note: This recipe was originally published in our June 2020 issue. This way for more of our favorite peach recipes→

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Reviews (58)

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  • I made this with canned peaches instead of fresh as that’s all I had available. It tuned out absolutely delicious, the sides ended up super crunchy and deliciously salty because of the brown butter. Will definitely be making this again!

    • Shochef

    • Auckland, NZ

    • 6/7/2020

  • This was utterly delicious. I subbed nutmeg for mace and only added 1 cup of sugar when it called for 1.75 in the flour mixture. It came out super crispy, with a consistency similar to bread pudding. I would definitely make this again.

    • Anonymous

    • Cypress, CA

    • 6/8/2020

  • Wife gave this a 10/10 rating. I used coarse sugar and it turned out great. I only have a toaster oven and used two loaf pans instead of a big pan and it worked out great! Great classic cobbler like my grandma used to make.

    • Anonymous

    • San Francisco, California

    • 6/9/2020

  • Really easy and super delicious! The whole family loved it. Pairs well with vanilla ice cream.

    • Anonymous

    • San Francisco

    • 6/10/2020

  • This is SO DELICIOUS!!!!! I halved the recipe and put it in an 8x8!!!! Perfect browned butter goodness!!!

    • Kennedyap

    • 6/11/2020

  • I’ve made this recipe on two occasions in the past week for a total of four pans-worth and it’s absolutely perfect! I too swapped nutmeg for mace (same fruit). I also chose to peel all the peaches versus only two, owing to my husband’s texture preferences.

    • Anonymous

    • Orono, MN

    • 6/16/2020

  • This is Definetly a good recipe that most people are going to like, but for those who enjoy their fruit deserts on the less-sweet side, the sugar needs to be cut down. I would not alter the peaches and their 1/4 cup of sugar, but I would take down the sugar in the batter down 3/4 of a cup. Also keep in mind that this is a really spongy cobbler, which I love. It’s not crispy or “crumby”.

    • Jinbae

    • Connecticut

    • 6/17/2020