This is such a wonderful peach cobbler recipe! The touch of orange enhances the peaches so well. The cobbled topping has a perfect texture along with a sweet crust. Homemade vanilla ice cream is a great accompaniment, or simply serve with cream.
Do not let the length of the ingredient list hold you back from making it. It is really quite simple. Fresh ingredients will make it all the better, but it will still be delicious if you have to make do.
The recipe comes from Marcia Adams’ Heirloom Recipes.
PEACH-ORANGE COBBLER WITH CARDAMOM AND NUTMEG
- 4 cups sliced fresh (or canned) peaches (or 20 ounces frozen)
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (if unavailable, use bottled not-from-concentrate juice)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons instant tapioca
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel (or a few drops pure orange oil)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/3 cup cold butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup hot water
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Put the peaches in a buttered, flat 2-quart, 12×7-inch baking dish and add the tapioca and orange juice; mix together and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, orange zest, baking powder, salt, and spices. Cut in the cold butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour it over the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. The dough will be stiff.
Drop the dough onto the peaches by spoonfuls. In a small bowl, combine the sugars and softened butter. Add the hot water and whisk until combined. Pour over the peaches and dough; do not mix it in. Bake 30 minutes for fresh peaches or 40 minutes for frozen peaches. The cobbler should bubble up in the center and be golden brown when done. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Makes 6 servings.
Note: If using orange oil instead of zest, add the oil to the eggs and milk, rather than the dry ingredients.