Blueberry peach cornmeal cobbler
A few years ago, when I arrived at a friend’s house in Austin, I handed her a Fredericksburg peach I’d picked up in the Hill Country. Before I even had a chance to sit down, she had sliced the peach in half and shared it with her daughter.
Later that night, I offered to pick up the tab at dinner to thank my friends for letting me sleep at their place. “Are you kidding?” said my friend. “You brought us peaches. You’ve already repaid us more than enough!”
Earlier that week, I had spent the night at my grandma’s farm. Her peach tree was full of fruit, but they weren’t quite ripe. Fortunately, my mom had brought a box of Fairfield peaches on a recent visit. And before I even had a chance to sit down, my grandma had deftly peeled one of the peaches and cut it into slices to share.
As we were eating the peach slices and wiping the juice off of our chins, my grandma asked if I wanted her to bake me my favorite pie—chocolate. “Are you kidding?” I said. “When the peaches are in season, I want a peach pie instead!”
What is it about peaches? Those few weeks in summer when they are ripe and in abundance, people can’t get enough of this soft juicy fruit. While I may be biased, I feel Texas peaches are the best and I’m pleased that I happened to be visiting when they were in season.
My preferred way of eating them is fresh off the tree, warm from the sun. But sometimes you might want another preparation as well. Blueberries are also in abundance right now, and one of my favorite combinations is to pair this tart berry with sweet peaches in a cobbler.
In my recipe box, I have a few cobbler recipes including recipes for dewberry cobbler, peach cobbler, chocolate cobbler, and strawberry. But I recently came across a cornmeal cobbler recipe in the Houston Chronicle and thought I’d give the topping a try.
I’m glad I did. I believe that fruits and vegetables that share a season naturally go well together. Corn is also now in season, which is why I think cornmeal goes so well with these fruits. For instance, blueberry cornbread is always a favorite this time of year.
The blueberry peach cornmeal cobbler comes together quickly. First, you mix the cornmeal batter that’s like a cross between and a cornbread and a loose and shaggy sweet biscuit. You then dollop it on top of the fruit, which has been tossed with sugar and cinnamon.
As the cobbler bakes, your home will be filled with the sweet and inviting scent of blueberries, peaches, and cinnamon. When it’s done, you tuck into it with a spoon and can either serve it alone or with a dollop of whipped cream. It’s a fine dessert to conclude a light meal, though I also enjoy it cold for breakfast, too.
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Blueberry peach cornmeal cobbler
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold butter
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 2 cups sliced peaches
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or 8-inch square pan.
- To make the topping, in a bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
- With knives, a pastry blender, or your hands, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it’s crumbly. Stir in the half-and-half until all the ingredients are well blended and you have a sticky dough.
- Place the peaches and blueberries into the skillet or pan. Toss the fruit with the lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon until well combined.
- Drop spoonfuls of the dough evenly on top of the fruit.
- Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until brown and bubbling, and an inserted knife into the cornmeal topping comes out clean. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: This post and recipe was first published in 2010 and updated in July 2022
I LOVE it when white peaches are in season here (January cause of that darn equator, so quite a long way off!). I'd also just wanted to say that I completely loved the picture of your Grandma cutting up the peaches too – so keep taking photos like that, and never mind the fact that she thinks you're nuts. I live 10,000 miles away from my Grandma and haven't seen her for three very long years. I'm hoping to next year, but she's nearly 90, so you never know. Pictures like that make me miss her so much, and remember her so well. And it's the sort of picture that'll make you smile when you see it for years and years and years to come. One of my favourite pictures of my family is us sitting down to a very normal Sunday roast lunch in my mum's house. It was the last time we all sat down together as my father died not long after the picture was taken, and although you can mostly see the food, the outstretched hands say a million words. Family. "Nuff said.
I'm in Austin and we are really enjoying Peach season here. Thanks for the a.m.a.z.i.n.g. recipe, can't wait to give it a shot with our Hill Country bounty!
Peaches are all over the pace! and I just go a new le creuset cast iron pan to make the cobbler in. I'm so excited!
All I want to do now is move to Austin and have a peach cobbler! Yum 🙂 I've never used cornmeal when making a cobbler but it sounds like a great idea. Thanks!
This looks downright delicioius. I wanted to let you know that I have been using your recipe for flour tortillas for two years now and LOVE it!!! I gave you a shout-out on my blog and a "Sugar Doll" award. I love your blog!!!