Healthy Peach Cobbler: the best of both worlds
I stand by my opinion that cobbler is a cheater-form of pie– it has none of the difficulties of chilling and rolling out crust– and is often subpar when compared to a pie of the same variety. However, I have to admit that this peach cobbler is one of the best desserts I ever tasted. The crumble topping was the perfect texture, and the ratio of topping to fruit was better than that of any pie (I like a LOT of crust!) Even better, the whole thing came together in under 20 minutes, and all I had to do was stick it in the oven. No more waiting for crusts to chill! Finally, this recipe is adapted to be much healthier than regular cobblers or pies.
This peach cobbler should technically be called nectarine cobbler because I used nectarines, but you can substitute almost any fruit into the filling. I’ve used both fresh and on-the-verge-of-spoiling apples, peaches, and nectarines, and regardless of fruit, each time it turned out well. It is pictured with persimmons because I have an abundance of them from the tree in my backyard, and I’m looking forward to making a persimmon cobbler too. This is definitely a good recipe to use up the leftover fruits on the counter that none of your family will touch anymore. From personal experience, I consider it my secret method to decrease food waste.
The key to getting the texture of the crumble is to substitute half of the flour with oat flour, which not only improves taste, but makes the cobbler healthier: oats are high in fiber and can improve blood sugar control! Oat flour is simply grounded oatmeal, and you can grind it yourself in 5 minutes using a blender. I always make a huge batch (10-12 cups’ worth) and store it in a container for future use. Without further ado, here’s the recipe! But first, the Kitchen Bop…
Kitchen Bop Music Rec: Country Roads by John Denver
A classic country song that reminds me of fall, and the warmth of family.
Healthy Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
For the filling
- 5 – 7 medium sized peaches, thinly sliced* (can skin if preferred)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 – 3 tsp lemon juice depending on taste
- Brown sugar: start with 3 tbsp and adjust based on personal taste/ fruit sweetness
For the topping
- Heaping ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- Heaping ½ cup of oat flour*
- 6 tbsp of unsalted butter, cubed (if using salted, omit the additional salt in recipe)
- ¼ boiling water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Dash of cinnamon if you love spices!
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 425F
- In a large pot, combine sliced peaches or fruit of choice, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir continually over medium-heat. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes or until fruit is tender and emits visible juices. Mix in the cornstarch, and take off heat.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, sugar, and desired spices. Add in the butter, and stir in boiling water. The butter should melt into the batter at this point, so stir until a crumbly dough forms.
- In a baking pan, spread your filling in an even layer covering the entire bottom. There is no need to oil the pan.
- Carefully crumble the topping over the filling. Take care to not forcefully “splat” it, otherwise it will sink to the bottom. A technique I like is to simply flatten the topping into discs using my palms and layer it onto the filling. Alternatively, you can also scatter balls of dough.
- Make sure to poke holes in your toppings so that there will be places for the fruit juices to escape during baking.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping turns golden. Enjoy hot or cold, and consider adding freshly whipped cream on top!