Some cobblers like the biscuit style you mentioned are the type where the batter on the bottom rises up over the fruit while it bakes to make the crust on the top. These are very easy and quite tasty, especially if there is some butter in that batter.

Here is a tried and true recipe I make often:

Cuppa Cuppa Cobbler

1 stick real butter
1 c flour
1 c sugar
1 c whole milk
2 can(s) sliced peaches, in heavy syrup (or 3-4 cups fresh sliced lightly sweetened peaches, stir a bit to get the juice flowing)

Preheat oven to 350.

Place butter into a pyrex baking dish (or similar). Place into oven while it preheats, and take out once melted.

In the meantime, Whisk together the flour, sugar and milk til mostly smooth. Pour over the butter in the baking dish.

Spoon the contents of both cans of peaches over the batter, syrup and fruit.

Bake at 350, until golden brown and crust is done (about 50 - 60 mins., depending on your oven). Serve topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired.

Teresa, thank you for posting that recipe again! Mom and I made it once and it was very good!

Here is the cobbler recipe I use. It's been a huge hit every time I've made it.

Express Fruit Cobbler

2 (20 oz.) cans fruit pie filling (21 oz. cans work just fine)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 (18 oz.) white cake mix (I've also used French Vanilla cake mix and it turned out very well. I think those are around 15 oz. and they work too)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pie filling in 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In large bowl, cream butter to smooth texture. Add dry cake mix and egg and blend well (mixture will be very stiff). Spoon mixture over pie filling. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares (I leave mine whole). Serves 16.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Does DW have a childhood memory or type of cobbler she wishes? So many developed over the years...My grandmothers was a southern 'from scratch' skillet type, my mothers was a bisquick-quick-n-easy that she also used for a fresh strawberries i'm guessing from an early Home and Garden magazine in the 60's. (not my favorite as it would get soggy)
Then sometime in the 70's an oat topping style was popular. I called it a 'hippie' cobbler. haha.
(Possibly a healthy alternative?)
I only make cobbler with fresh seasonal fruit and like a skillet style. Birds got all my cherries this year but just caged my blueberries just in time. Should get peaches in the market soon, sent up from the south...this one gets crisp like a skillet corn bread.

Here is a link that might be useful: skillet peach cobler

I agree, there are all types of cobbler. I had a secretary from Texas, she said a cobbler was fruit filling with a layer of pie crust over top, but nothing under. I kind of think that's just pie. (grin)

My Grandmother made the kind with a fruit filling, then sweetened biscuit dough on top, she said it was a cobbler because it was supposed to look like cobblestones.

Elery's version of cobbler was the kind his mother made, similar to Teresa's "cuppa" cobbler. He likes his made with blackberries.

I like 'em all!

Annie

Thanks all for responding quickly. The peaches are calling from the fruit bowl. I'll read these over again when I get home. It is nice to know that what sounded new was actually old and authentic. I will probably go with Teresa's cuppa cuppa cobbler because we are both in North Carolina and because my memory challenged brain can probably retain it. I like cooking in cast iron too, so I may use sleevengog's link or try Teresa's in DW mother's (DWM?) skillet. That should make it doubly authentic except that her skillet was made in China. Perhaps I should use my 40's or 50's Wagner Ware iron that is much newer to me but came from auctions in NC. That gives a nice authentic ring too.

Teresa, what size can of peaches, please.

Chas...

We like cuppa cuppa fruit cobbler better than pie! Close call here between peach and blackberry. But, blueberries are also yummy. It's easy to remember and quick to put together. Nothing pretentious about it - just great homey comfort food.

For some fruits (like berries) that give off lots of juice, I add a bit of cornstarch slurry.

/tricia

That would be 2 one lb. cans - which now weigh only 15 oz. :o(

Teresa

I love apple cobbler! Cut-up apples and dots of butter and a biscuit topping. Yum!

My recipe for peach cobbler is similar to cuppa cuppa cuppa however it uses a self rising flour. It is really good, particularly if made with fresh peaches which you add sugar too and simmer before pouring over the batter.

I've tried many cobbler recipes, but this is my favourite. I usually make it with Blackberries but it can be made with peaches, raspberries, blueberries, etc.

Blackberry Cobbler
Adapted from Recipe found on the Betty Crocker Website
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup of milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blackberries
extra sugar to sprinkle on top

Heat oven to 350ðF.
Melt butter in small baking dish.
Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour in melted butter and stir to blend. Pour back into baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries on top and press down slightly. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until done.

Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream. Or drizzle with Vanilla cream sauce or a white chocolate cream sauce.

NOTE: Substitute Blueberries, Raspberries, Peaches, etc....

Vanilla Cream Sauce

Source: Lori

This sauce is like a white caramel sauce.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Melt butter and add sugar and cream. Add vanilla bean. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove vanilla bean and serve warm over Bread and Butter Pudding, Gingerbread cake, cobblers, etc...

I've also used self-rising flour for the Cuppa cobbler recipe - just makes the "cobbled" dough somewhat fluffier but just as good.

Teresa

Thanks for the can size, Teresa. One more question. Do you drain the syrup from the peaches or use it in the cobbler?

Can this adapted to fresh peaches? Do I have to compenseate for the sugar in the syrup? I just harvested 100+ white peaches that ripened with the heat wave. The branch actually broke and I had to harvest asap to see if I can save the branch.

The original recipe says to use the syrup from the canned peaches. I don't use all of it as it makes the cobbler too soupy, but I use about 1/3 to 1/2 of the syrup.

You definitely can use fresh peaches, just sprinkle them with sugar and a little spice if you want, i.e. cinnamon, mace, or nutmeg, stir them a bit so the sugar blends in, wait a few minutes for the juices to start to flow, then make the cobbler. Maybe a little lemon juice over the peaches for freshness.

Teresa

Lolo, I also use fresh fruit in season, or homecanned during the winter, I don't like the gelatinous goo in canned pie fillings.

So whether I make my version of the "cuppa" cobbler (which contains baking powder as leavening, the major difference to the recipe posted), or my old fashioned cobbler with biscuit topping, fresh fruit works just fine. I mix just a little sugar with the fruit as it's usually plenty sweet enough and the flour from the topping seems to thicken the fruit.

If you like it even thicker you could simply cook the fruit with a couple of tablespoons of flour added to the sugar and stirred in, making a pie filling of sorts.

Annie

Thanks for the info about how to use the syrup in the canned fruit, Teresa.

100 ripe white peaches! yum. Sorry about the branch damage. Happened to me with my Asian pear. I'm guessing to much weight from the fruit.
I suppose you could simmer a batch over low heat, sliced, and simmered till soft, then smashed and add to fresh slices then freeze. (I do that with my 20lb blueberry crop)
It is an instant syrup, filling, or added to rhubarb for a bluebarb pie, crumble, crostini.
Freeze in qrt zip-locks flat. Re-heat on stove with lemon juice and zest and a thickener if for pie or how thick you want it. I use tapioca. For pancakes i just heat for a syrup. I don't use any sugar until re-heating and usually none. I like having the frozen base that can become many things. (my blueberries are the tiny sweet wild coastal Canadian ones that rarely need sugar)

Sleevendog,

that is a great idea to freeze without sugar. DH and I are trying but are not making inroads to the pile of fast ripening fruit :)

I like biscuit-style cobblers and my favorite peach cobbler recipe is the one in the Silver Palate cookbook. Served warm with vanilla ice cream, it's heaven. Might have to make one, when DD and her BF are around to help us eat it.

Peach Cobbler

4 cups peeled and sliced ripe peaches
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

2. Arrange peaches in baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar, the lemon zest and juice, and almond extract.

3. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. While peaches are baking, sift flour, 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar, the baking powder, and salt together into a bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal. Combine beaten egg and milk and mix into dry ingredients until just combined.

5. Remove peaches from oven and quickly drop dough by large spoonfuls over surface. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Return to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until top is firm and golden brown

Oops, I said crostini but i meant crostada.