Peach Cherry Cobbler With Sweet Biscuit Topping

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Peach Cherry Cobbler with Sweet Biscuit Topping is a made-from-scratch summer dessert that comes together with fresh peaches, sweet Bing cherries, and a tender drop-biscuit crust, no pie dough to roll out. You layer the fruit, sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon, drop the sweet biscuit dough on top, and bake until golden and bubbling. Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Every summer, I can hardly wait until fresh cherries and peaches show up at our local produce market. It was still a little early in the season when I made this, so you can imagine how happy I was to find dark sweet cherries and Georgia fuzzies (peaches) at Trader Joe’s.

My husband loves peach cobbler, and I’m a cherry fan myself, so combining the two was a way to keep us both happy. I started with a recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and adapted it to use both fruits.

The nice thing about this one is how forgiving it is: any combination of stone fruit works, so plums or apricots also bake into a delicious result.

Ingredients for Peach Cherry Cobbler

Filling

• Fresh peaches | Sliced peaches make up the base of the filling and bring natural sweetness. Freestone peaches are easiest to slice since the pit comes away cleanly.
• Fresh cherries | Sweet, pitted cherries add a little tartness and a deep color to the filling. Bing cherries are my favorite here. You can either use a cherry pitter or a small paring knife to gently remove the pits.
• Sugar | Sweetens the fruit and helps draw out the juices that become the syrupy base of the cobbler.
• Cornstarch | Thickens those juices as the cobbler bakes so the filling turns out jammy instead of soupy.
• Ground cinnamon | Adds a warm background flavor that works with both the peaches and cherries without overpowering either one.

Topping

• All-purpose flour | The base of the biscuit topping, giving it structure.
• Sugar | A little sugar in the dough sweetens the biscuits, and extra sprinkled on top before baking adds a light, crackly crust.
• Baking powder | Gives the topping its lift so it bakes up fluffy rather than dense.
• Salt | Balances the sweetness in both the dough and the filling.
• Unsalted butter, very cold | The key to a tender, flaky topping. Grating it on a box grater keeps it cold and distributes it evenly through the flour.
• Large egg | Adds richness and helps hold the biscuit dough together.
• Milk | Moistens the dry ingredients into a soft, droppable dough.
• Vanilla extract | Adds a deeper flavor to the topping.

Variations and Substitutions

• Use frozen fruit instead of fresh. Choose plain frozen peach slices, not the kind packed in juice, and thaw both the peaches and cherries completely. Drain off any extra liquid before layering them in the baking dish so the filling does not turn out watery.
• Swap in other stone fruit. Plums or apricots work well in place of either the peaches or the cherries if that is what you have on hand.
• Add extra spice. A pinch of nutmeg or allspice along with the cinnamon gives the filling a little more warmth.
• Make individual cobblers. Divide the filling and topping between small ramekins for personal-sized servings, and shorten the bake time by about 10 minutes.
• Add a splash of amaretto and almond extract. Stir a little amaretto into the fruit filling and swap a touch of almond extract in for some of the vanilla in the biscuit dough for a nutty, slightly boozy variation.
• Swap in blueberries. If cherries are not in season, blueberries make a great substitute!

How to Peel Peaches FAST

I learned this new-to-me kitchen hack for peeling peaches that’s amazingly fast and easy.

1. Wash and dry the peaches with paper towels.
2. Cut a small X on the pointed end of the peach opposite the stem. The cut should be about 1/8-inch deep.
3. Place the whole peaches in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds.
4. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and let them cool until you can easily handle the fruit.
5. From the pointed side, grab the skin and pull away from the peach to peel it. If it doesn’t slide off easily, return the peach to the boiling water for another 30 seconds.

How to Ripen Peaches

If the peaches you purchased are still firm and crunchy, you can easily ripen them overnight by placing them in a paper bag on the kitchen counter. Close the bag and let nature take its course.

The fruit will emit ethylene gas that gets trapped in the bag, speeding up the ripening process. Usually, the peaches will soften within 24 hours.

How to Make Peach Cherry Cobbler

STEP 1 | Prep the filling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the sliced peaches and pitted cherries in the baking dish. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

STEP 2 | Add butter to dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a box grater and grate the butter into the same bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a fork until the mixture is crumbly.

STEP 3 | Finish the topping

Combine the beaten egg, milk, and vanilla. Add it all at once to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

STEP 4 | Assemble and bake

Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough over the fruit. Sprinkle the tops with more sugar, if desired. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Storage and Reheating Tips

To store: Cover the peach cherry cobbler in the baking dish tightly or transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or warm the whole dish in a 350-degree oven until heated through.

To freeze: Baked cobbler can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the oven to crisp the topping back up.

To make ahead: The fruit filling and the dry topping ingredients can each be prepped and stored separately in the refrigerator up to a day in advance. Wait to add the wet ingredients to the topping and assemble the cobbler until you are ready to bake.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Serve With Peach Cherry Cobbler

A warm bowl of this cherry peach cobbler barely needs anything else, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is hard to beat. Or if you have extra peaches, you can make Homemade Peach Ice Cream to go with it!

Peach Cherry Cobbler

Author: Sheila Thigpen

Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this easy made-from-scratch cobbler recipe is baked with a sweet drop biscuit topping on top of slices of fresh peaches and pitted cherries.

4.63 from 37 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Sweets

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 327 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Filling

• ▢ 2 cups fresh sliced peaches
• ▢ 2 cups fresh cherries pitted
• ▢ 3/4 cup sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter very cold
• ▢ 1 large egg slightly beaten
• ▢ 1/4 cup milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

For the filling:

• Layer the sliced peaches and pitted cherries in the baking dish.
• Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

For the topping:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a box grater and grate the butter into the same bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a fork until the mixture is crumbly.
• Combine the beaten egg, milk, and vanilla. Add it all at once to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
• Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough over the fruit. Sprinkle the tops with more sugar, if desired.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

• I prefer using fresh fruit in this cobbler recipe, but you can also use frozen. If you do use frozen, choose plain peach slices that are not frozen with juices. Allow the peaches and cherries to thaw first, then drain off any liquid before proceeding with the recipe.
• Grate the cold butter into the flour instead of cutting it in — it makes for a flakier topping. Don’t overmix the dough, and bake until the filling is visibly bubbling, not just until the biscuits look golden.
• Refrigerate, covered, for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 229mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37g

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietitian or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword cherries, dessert, fresh fruit, fresh peaches